


Six's a crowd, Nine's a Bigger Crowd

by The_Darker_Side_ofThings



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Might include rape, Might take a dark turn, Slice of Life, Team Rainbow Rocket (Pokemon)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:02:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 93,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23747269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Darker_Side_ofThings/pseuds/The_Darker_Side_ofThings
Summary: The Ultra Wormholes have stopped working, and Team Rainbow Rocket are living together in Lusamine's mansion who is allowing the team to stay safe from the police. A horrible storm hits overnight, and the team meet three sick, tiny children who appear at the doorstep soaking and shivering. While Giovanni and Ghetsis are less on board for child care, Lysandre has enough courtesy to help the children: Jackie, Sophie, and Luna. While he tries to nurse the children to health, Giovanni does not like the idea of people searching for three missing children to find them with six criminal leaders and decides to take action.
Comments: 63
Kudos: 65





	1. Children

**Author's Note:**

> I do not and cannot speak French for the life of me, I will use Google Translate for Lysandre’s short phrases, so if they sound off or are wrong, please tell me .-.
> 
> Also I finally got good sleep.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A storm brings three children to Team Rainbow Rocket.

The wanted posters littered the road, people knew the faces all too well. And they feared them, too. Where they went, no one knew, but they did know that the police were searching for six, dangerous faces. One was a man from Unova, a dangerous, power-hungry criminal with the nerves of steel and voice of malice. He reaches 6’6” and is as uncaring as he is dangerous. With one arm and eye concealed, he escaped prison almost as soon as he was put in, and is currently at large. 

The next paper had another man, but instead of pale grayish-green hair, he had blue hair. From Sinnoh, he was the only man with the confirmed age of 27, but his prominent cheekbones could easily fool anyone. His intimidating glare seemed to freeze the paper his face was printed on. His willpower was legendary; it never crumbled and showed no signs of ever breaking, which might have been how even bounty hunters could not find him. 

The next paper had two faces instead of one, both from Hoenn. One had a man with red hair and glasses and looked as excited as a wet towel. He was slightly shorter than 5’9, which was his comrade’s size. His all red outfit was greatly contrasting with the all blue on the other side. While he wore a frown, the one in blue had a grin. Wearing a bandana, this man looked like he was challenging whoever approached him with that smile. Despite a friendly(ish) appearance, both men did not look approachable. 

The next paper had a Kalosian with a very unique haircut. He was considered deceivingly kind, his eyes were not filled with hate, or at least not in the photo on the papers that danced elegantly in the wind. He simply looked impassive. 

The last man was from Kanto, and was the ringleader of the whole lot. Manipulative, abusive, and very dangerous. His handgun was just as swift and deadly as his tongue, which had more than once succeeded in manipulating those who stood against him. It was heavily discussed if he should have been captured dead or alive, while it would have been better for him to be dead, they could get so much information if he was alive. 

“To us!” a person shouted, and several adults and adolescents cheered as they raised their fists to the sky as they were circled around a large pile of the wanted posters. The papers fluttered in the wind and the chants grew louder, filling the square. “Down with the leaders! Down with Rainbow Rocket!” 

A Vulpix blew a fire breath on the papers, reducing it to cinders. The group cheered again, smoke rising with the embers that danced away as the wind blew down the road. 

“We will end those criminals for the terror they brought down on the people!” A man snarled, his eyes flashing from the light of the fire. 

“Mother?” A young boy with straight brown hair and dark brown eyes asked as he was holding hands with his two sisters. The mother and her children walked past the crowd. “Who is Rainbow Rocket? It sounds fun.” 

“You remember that criminal gang who terrorized Alolah for a while? Those guys were Rainbow Rocket.” 

“Oh, like the one that the television was telling us about?” A girl with long brown hair and matching eye color asked, swinging her brother’s hand with hers. She was younger than the boy. “How come we never saw them?” 

“Criminal leaders often don’t show themselves in public, they like to hide in their bases and use lackeys to do their work.” 

“What are lackeys? Is that a Pokémon?” 

“Lackeys are the people who work for the boss and do his dirty work.” 

“If they tried to hurt us I’d stop those bad guys!” 

“Jackie, you’re too young to have any Pokémon.” 

“Then I’ll have to fight them!” 

“I’ll help him!” the girl with brown hair joined in. 

The mother laughed softly. 

The family started walking up a trail that left the town they were in. The smell of burning papers lingered in the air. While the mother knew the bounty hunters wished the papers were the bodies of Team Rainbow Rocket, her children only saw it as a fun bonfire. 

“I’m hungry,” the brown-haired girl said. “I wish they would let us roast marshmallows.” 

“Now, now, Sophie. We just need to cross this trail and we will be over at Dad’s. Then you can eat as much as you like.” 

The wind started to pick up and Sophie’s long hair that reached the middle of her spine started to blow around. The mother stopped the group and started tying Sophie’s hair in a ponytail, while the other two children waited patiently. 

“It looks like the wind is starting to pick up, Mama,” Sophie said as she watched the sky while waiting for her hair to be contained. 

“We should be able to reach your father’s by the time it hits. It should not be a long trip.” 

She stood up and offered her hand to her son, who took it and held the youngest girl’s with his other. She had long silver hair and hazel eyes and was paler than everyone in the family. He clung closer to Jackie as the wind started to blow harder, sending a cold chill among the group, who were fortunate in wearing jackets. Jackie looked ahead, eager to go forward and see his father, while Sophie looked behind to where the busy town was. She could see embers glinting in the air and was starting to crave s’mores. Eventually, the town was out of sight, and the smell of burning papers was left behind as well, but the mother’s tugging on her hand helped her forward. 

Thunder rumbled in the distance and the smallest girl clung to Jackie’s side. 

“Do not worry, my children,” the mother said softly. “It is not too far.” 

Although she did start walking faster. 

The clouds were ominously dragging below the sun, making the world go dark and cold. 

“We just need to go a bit faster,” the mother coaxed, staring ahead. The rain wasn’t supposed to hit in the late afternoon, not at noon. 

“Lapras, use rain dance.” 

The mother looked around, worried. Was someone going to assault her children? The path was rocky, but there was a good chance someone could be hiding. After all, she swore she heard someone command a move from a Pokémon. 

Just as the rain started to fall, the mother pulled her hand from Sophie’s and took out her Pokéball, calling out a Decidueye. 

“Go find who else is here,” she commanded it, and it took to the rainy skies. It circled the family, and let out a shriek. The sound of a warning. The sky flashed with a golden blaze of electricity and a powerful bolt of lightning lashed like an arrow shot from the heavens. The bird was engulfed in light, feathers shot everywhere and everyone thought the poor Pokémon would explode into meat confetti as it was snared by lightning that struck right through its body. Jackie had to cover the silver-haired girl’s eyes as the pathway was illuminated by light. Sophie screamed and the lightning exploded, sending a Decidueye to plummet onto the cold earth. The mother recalled it before it could hit the ground. 

Without saying a word, she tightly grabbed her children’s hands and started to run. Jackie felt his insides tighten as he was forced to keep up, his feel stumbling as Sophie was crying and tripping over her feet. Another flash of lightning was nearby, and they heard a tree crack and fall. Sophie started to cry, wishing anything to be back and sitting at a warm bonfire. Lightning flashed again, and a tall silhouette of a man was right in front of them, and someone screamed. Jackie felt something grab his shoulder, and his feet slipped as if the ground was pulled out from under him. He was still holding tight to Sophie’s hand as he fell, but he would not stop falling and she started to scream. The ground wasn’t there, but instead, a very wet slope which they rolled down. 

_This is it. I’m going to die._

Someone screamed as lightning flashed once more, the world stones and then sky before it became dark once again. He felt the world spinning even though he was sure the ground was solid under him. Was he dead? No, the rain was still covering him. Was anything broken? No, everything moved normally, although it hurt. Were Luna and Sophie alright? From what he could tell, yes. They were getting up. Was Mama ok? He did not know where she was. 

“Where are we?” Sophie asked, holding her arm as her sister clung to Jackie’s side. 

“I don’t know, but we better find help.”   
  
\-------- 

“I know a lot of you are inconvenienced from this Wormhole Shutdown,” Giovanni began, looking at his group. “So I decided the best thing to do was allow you to have refuge in my mansion. There will be rooms for each of you, and you all will have to argue over the bathroom.” 

Lysandre looked at the rest with a slight pain in his eyes, but of course, no one seemed to notice. 

“I have not cooked for a while, so unless someone here can be a chef, I suggest they speak up now.” 

Archie and Maxie shook their heads almost perfectly in unison, while Cyrus had an unreadable expression. 

“Well, I ca-” Lysandre began. 

“I’ll do it,” Ghetsis sighed. “It would be cheaper. And better.” 

He eyed Lysandre when he said this, and Giovanni noticed but said nothing about it. 

“Don’t break anything, keep this place clean,” Giovanni continued. “And I’m sure we will find a way for everyone to go back home. Eventually.” 

“I choose the room closest to the bathroom,” Lysandre piped up. The group was silent, before the realization of claiming a room may be the most important moment thing to ever accomplish. Everyone scampered to the hallway, respectively leaving the room closest to the bathroom alone. Giovanni noticed Cyrus had not moved from the living room, and until everyone found where they wanted to be. Cyrus walked to the only unoccupied room, which was at the end of the hall. They did have suitcases, bags, and briefcases, but there was not a lot, as they planned to stay until the end of Rainbow Rocket. Unpacking everything was fiercely short, it did not take long for everyone to take their things out of their bags and briefcases and decorate their rooms with what they had from home. 

“I will say,” Lysandre said as everyone gathered into the living room, Maxie and Archie were aggressively bickering to each other, while Ghetsis was busy making dinner in the kitchen. The aroma of potatoes filled the mansion. “You have a very beautiful mansion, monsieur Giovanni!” 

“Thank you, Lysandre,” Gio answered, stroking his Persian who had its head on his lap, eyes closed and ears back with a look of content. “It is not actually mine, but I do my best to have the mansion in top condition.” 

“I do hope we will be able to live together as friends,” Lysandre continued, looking at the scene before them. Archie and Maxie were wildly waving their hands in the elaboration of making a point, Cyrus was sitting rigidly in a chair, eyes focused on something unseen, and they could hear the furious clanking of bowls in the kitchen. “Or die trying.” 

Just as the argument would have turned physical, Ghetsis poked out from the doorway. 

“Dinner’s ready,” he said in a flat tone. 

“And, Maxie, I cannot see how possibly- dinner, you say?” Archie jolted himself off the couch, all signs of anger vanished. “Oh, boy, I’m starved!” 

Maxie grumbled, standing up in a more dignified manner. 

“Act your age, for once, Archie,” Maxie grumbled as he wandered after his friend into the kitchen. Giovanni looked at the table, there seemed to be a very large pan full of sauce-covered bread. 

“Potato enchiladas,” Ghetsis murmured, serving out the dishes to every man. Archie hungrily tore into his, grinning, while Maxie, who sat next to him, was cutting his in half, eyeing his buddy with a dignified look. 

Giovanni cut off a small chunk, eating it. It was pleasantly smooth in flavor with the spice of the sauce counterbalancing the meal. The potato was too hot and burned his tongue, so he had to wait for it to cool. He looked at the others while he waited. 

“Monsieur Ghetsis,” Lysandre said, prodding the food with a fork. “This is interesting.” 

“It’s a simple recipe,” Ghetsis replied while staring at the other. His tone held a sharp edge in it. Lysandre gently ate a forkful, his expression was neutral, but Giovanni could see a hint of I’m-trying-to-be-polite-even-though-I-don’t-really-like-this in his eyes as he delicately placed a potato chunk in his mouth, chewing slowly. Cyrus didn’t touch his food, but he at least looked at his fork from time to time. And blinked. Archie compensated for both the men, hungrily tearing apart his meal. He wasn’t sloppy or rude while he devoured his food, but was slamming down the enchiladas like a starved Munchlax. Maxie, on the other hand, was the more sane person of the group, calmly cutting his enchiladas before eating them. Ghetsis was on par with Maxie. 

Giovanni started to analyze the group as he ate. 

Archie was the most prominent of the group, very hasty and bold, laughs easily and very much like a pirate. Scratch that, he _is_ a pirate. Goes wherever the wind may take him. Adaptable and is quite loud. 

Then there’s Maxie, the more logical one here. More down to earth, and very smart. He is very solid in his ideas like the rocks he studies. Was he stubborn? Giovanni tried to remember if he was during the siege of Rainbow Rocket. Although he wasn’t as big as Archie, or tall, his intelligence was incredible. 

Then there was Lysandre, the very elegant and dignified Lysandre. Would dignified be the correct word? He was rather kind and understanding, perhaps it was because he had class, but he also knew how it felt to be so rich and possibly pompous. He did own a café after himself. He also wanted everything beautiful, to which Giovanni did not see the same goals as the Pyroar-man. Giovanni wanted supreme power instead of beauty. 

Ghetsis was next. Alongside Lysandre, Ghetsis was one of the harder ones to come by. He was possibly prideful, arrogant, and stubborn. And power-hungry. He was probably the more insane one here. 

Then Cyrus. He was silent, very silent. And serious. A single glance could send someone’s blood to run cold. Mysterious and dangerous, that man was wickedly observant and could mask his emotions without trouble. 

The table finished up their meal in silence, aside from Archie and Maxie arguing over something trivial under their breaths. Lysandre delicately dabbed his lips before he stood up, but Giovanni saw no stains on the cloth as it was set down on his plate. It did not take long to clear the table and kitchen. It was like no one wanted to do anything with anyone there. Giovanni was slightly amused, it was like a room of cats. Everyone just wanted to go home. 

Cyrus and Maxie disappeared down the hallway, and Archie watched them enter Cyrus’s room. He turned to Ghetsis. 

“Looks like it’s just you, me, Lysandre, and Giovanni.” 

“I’m not wasting my time with you.” 

“Aw, come now, Ghetsis, cheer up! We can play a game or something!” 

“I have work to do,” Giovanni mumbled before leaving to his office. 

Archie wrapped his arms like a vice around Ghetsis’s shoulders and Lysandre’s waist. 

“Looks like it’s just us, boys! What should we do?” 

“Leave this place.” 

“Aw, don’t be like that, Ghetsis! Let’s do something!” 

Lysandre made a grunt and Archie realized he was bending his ribs and quickly released both of them. 

“Whoops! Sorry, bud! Anyway, what should we do?” 

“Must we do something with another?” 

“Well, Maxie is busy with Cyrus and you two are here, the night’s still young, so…” 

“Why don’t we play the quiet game?” 

“Ha! Funny, Ghetsis!” 

“I would like to make something of culinary design. So, if you excuse me-” 

“Lysandre I’ll help!” 

The latter’s face drained of color. 

“Oh, no, that’s alright, Archie, really-” 

“This will be a great way to bond! After all, we’re all stuck here!” 

“Don’t remind us, Archie,” Ghetsis bitterly hissed. 

Lysandre walked into the kitchen tailed by the two. 

“What will we be making?” 

“Something light and delicate, possibly Poképuffs.” 

“Great! Let’s get to it!” 

Ghetsis followed but decided to watch. 

“Now, Archie, hand me that bowl.” 

“Sure thing, Fire-head!” 

Ghetsis scoffed as they started to work, Lysandre gingerly adding ingredients and mixing everything together with refined precision, while Archie simply threw everything together. The kitchen was warm and bright against the cold dark night. Something bright caught Ghetsis’s eye, and when he looked outside, it was gone. He stared out the window and the flicker of lightning illuminated the distance. Black outlines of trees were swaying before vanishing with the darkness. 

“Archie, slow down!” 

“What?” 

Some batter splashed over the sides of the bowl to which Archie was whisking the batter with terrifying speeds and speckled both their tops. Lysandre made a face. 

“Looks like it’s done!” 

“The recipe called to stir, not beat it to death.” 

“It’ll be fluffier!” 

“Well, I suppose so…” 

Ghetsis watched the window grow darker and could hear the wind howling outside. 

“Now, just gently- _gently_ , Archie, here, let me do it.” 

“Aww, you don’t trust me?” 

“Not with a recipe as delicate as this.” 

“Aw, is the ickle puddy tat worried I might mess up?” 

“I’m not _worried_ , just more concerned.” 

“Relax, ya old worry wart!” 

Archie slapped the red-head so hard on the back that it brought Ghetsis out of his musings and looked over to where Lysandre had bent over the pastries and spilled some contents from the bowl. 

“Archie! Look what you have done! We're supposed to pipe it in, not spill it on top!” 

“I made them creamier!” 

The taller one gave a defeated sigh, although it could have been a hiss pain. Ghetsis looked outside and noticed the lightning getting closer. Having enough to listen to, he decided to bid the two goodnight and left. 

“Now we just wait until they bake and they should be fresh and ready.” 

“We can have Maxie and Cyrus try these when we’re done!” 

It was not long to bake, and the smell of fresh Poképuffs filled the kitchen, to which Archie and Lysandre offered to Archie and Maxie. While Archie insisted Maxie take at least seven more, Cyrus set the one he was offered aside as he continued with his work. When the pirate and red-head left, Maxie tipped the rest of his Poképuffs on Cyrus’s nightstand. 

“Well, it is almost two in the morning,” Maxie said, standing up and rubbing his eyes before sliding his glasses back on. “Here is where I will take my leave.” 

He left Cyrus alone, who took his machine and set it gently aside. He called out his Weavile, who immediately ran to the sweets. 

“Help yourself.” 

His Weavile happily gobbled up the fresh snacks while Cyrus worked until sunrise. 

Giovanni wondered if everyone was asleep despite the claps of thunder and flashes of lightning, or if they were lying awake and pondering like he was. He could smell the fresh scent of Poképuffs before it faded like a mist. His Persian laid on the floor and flicked his tail when the rain fell down and pounded the mansion. During a rather blinding flash, Giovanni could have sworn he saw a silhouette of a person in the distance. Since his Persian sensed nothing, he decided to leave it be. If it was a cop, he would easily have let the others go first. 

The sky was heavy with dark clouds, rain would sputter heavily before stopping, cold winds lashed through the air, and trees groaned as they swayed. Lysandre woke up to boil some water, close enough to the kitchen to not alert his housemates with his walking, although his footsteps were padded from the carpet anyway. Giovanni was already sitting at the counter, fully dressed with a newspaper in his hand and a cup of coffee in his other. The smell of baked goods lingered in the air. 

“Good morning, Lysandre,” the man announced. 

“Bonjour, Monsieur Giovanni,” Lysandre mumbled, also in his usual suit as he used the remaining hot water off the stove and poured himself a cup of coffee. The smell of pastries and coffee reminded him of his café back home. “Did you sleep well?” 

“As well as one can with a raging thunderstorm right outside their house.” 

Lightning rumbled in the distance, and something caught both men’s attention. 

“Did you hear that?” Giovanni asked, standing up slowly and setting his paper down. 

“Knocking.” 

“At five in the morning?” 

They looked at each other before Giovanni started to slowly walk to the front, Lysandre in his wake. They didn’t do anything illegal recently, at least Giovanni didn’t. The police threatened them all with life in prison if they pulled another stunt like the Team Rainbow Rocket again. What was supposed to happen was everyone was sent to their original locations and let everything cool down. But that didn’t happen. The Ultra Wormholes had shut themselves up and refused to open. Giovanni decided that, since he was the one who brought the danger to every boss he summoned, he should at least help them in their safety of a home. For now. Hopefully, it would not last too long, as it wasn’t technically his building. He would not fear to end a relationship forcibly. 

The knocking was prominent, louder as they approached the front door. It was too gentle to be an angry policeman. He slowly gripped the door handle and opened the door. Lightning flashed and Giovanni stared in disbelief. He heard “Oh mon” from Lysandre as they stared down at three soaked children. Two girls and one boy. They stared at the adults with wide, fearful eyes as they shivered from the gales that beat their skin. Their hair stuck to their face and mud coated from their knees down, it was a pitiful sight. 

The boy’s eyes widened as he clutched the girls tighter. He knew those faces. They were the ones he saw on the television! 

“Monsieur! They’re children!” 

“I can see that.” 

“Where are your parents?” 

Thunder cracked the skies and they flinched, the girls huddling into the boy’s sides. He put his arms around them and looked up to the men. They were so big! And tall! He couldn’t fight them with the confidence of winning, he couldn’t fight them at all! 

“Uh.” 

His mind was blank. What should they do? Luna was sick, Sophie was famished, and he was too weak to fight any of them. Should they run? No, they would be too slow. 

“They look sickly, Giovanni. We should help them.” 

“Help them?” Giovanni hissed at Lysandre before looking at the problem on their door. He was in no mood to help random kids. “Children, go back home,” 

“But I don’t know where we are,” he pleaded. “And I think Luna is sick.” 

The tiniest girl was shivering the hardest, coughing into her hands. 

“Come now, Giovanni,” Lysandre reasoned. “I know you’re not good with kids, but we can’t just leave them.” 

“Where are your parents?” 

“We don’t know. We were traveling when the storm hit, and then it was so rainy and loud. We got separated and have been wandering since.” 

“I’m hungry,” the other girl said, her voice hardly audible. 

“Oh, les enfants pauvres,” Lysandre mumbled, pushing past Giovanni and letting them in. “Have a heart, monsieur. We shall at least let them dry off here.” 

Giovanni grimaced as six small feet tracked in puddles of mud across the floor and to the hallway where the other men slept. Cyrus and Ghetsis’s lights were on, while Archie and Maxie’s were not. 

“Do you have any items or Pokémon on you, children?” 

They shook their heads, and the tiny girl sneezed loudly. Lysandre had no children of his own, as he never had the proper time to settle down. He was not as experienced as Giovanni or Ghetsis, but he could at least try to show them hospitality. After all, it would be cruel to leave them in the storm alone with nothing to defend themselves. It was a wonder that they made it this far. He started to run the hot water in the bathtub, catching Giovanni passing through the doorway. He noticed the boy was glancing around nervously. 

“Will you help me, Giovanni?” 

The Team Rocket leader poked his head in the bathroom and looked at the three shivering children sitting on the edge of the tub. 

“No.” 

“Come on, please? You know more about children than I do.” 

“You let them in, you take care of them,” Giovanni hissed. Something dark flashed in his eyes, and Lysandre saw it. It was almost like a surge of evil. “Do not expect me to care for your problems.” 

He was gone before Lysandre could realize what happened. He saw something dark and sinister target his very soul. What was Giovanni hiding? 

A sneeze brought him back to the present. 

“I’m cold,” the little girl coughed. 

“I know, the tub is almost ready.” 

Do boys bathe with girls? How young did they need to let it be acceptable? They were related… right? 

“What are your names? 

“My name's Jackie. These are my sisters, Luna and Sophie. Who are you?” 

He spoke in a very aggressive tone and Lysandre noticed. 

“My name is Lysandre, Monsieur Lysandre. How old are you, children?” 

“I’m ten, Sophie is six, and Luna is five. Sophie will be seven in a couple of months.” 

“I’m hungry,” Sophie sighed. Luna started coughing. 

“Well, the water is ready for you all.” 

A presence alerted Lysandre that someone was at the door. He turned to the doorway to a silent Ghetsis. 

“Who are these?” He had a slight tone in his voice. Lysandre felt his chest rise. Ghetsis had a son, he could help. 

“These children are Jackie, Luna, and Sophie. Can you help me, Monsieur Ghetsis? They might get sick.” 

“I will not raise these problems.” 

“And why not?” 

“I will not mess up again. These children are your doing, Lysandre. I will not help in making your issue everyone’s.” 

“Come now, they're just children. Sheesh.” 

Lysandre stood up, looking down at Ghetsis with a somber expression. He did not like how the two fathers, despite being horrible parents, refused to help. Ghetsis saw something flash in Lysandre’s face, something angry and… disappointment? He refused to match the expression to the one N gave him. Ghetsis looked down, mumbling. 

“I’ll keep their appetites in mind when I make breakfast. But do not expect more from me.” 

“Merci!” 

Ghetsis grumbled as he left, shutting the bathroom door shut behind him. 

“Where are we?” Sophie asked, stripping herself out of her wet clothes and helping Luna do the same. Jackie stayed in his, watching Lysandre like he was a snake. 

“We are in Monsieur Giovanni’s house. He was the first man you saw.” 

Luna silently slid into the water and Sophie quickly joined, their chattering teeth going silent. Lysandre was searching for soap and felt a pair of eyes glaring at him. 

“Who was the other guy we just saw?” Jackie asked this time, hugging himself as he watched the man carefully. 

“Monsieur Ghetsis, he’ll be cooking your breakfast.” 

The girls started playing with the water. Jackie shivered, and Lysandre felt a chill himself. He could see the shadows of footsteps right outside the door. Cyrus. 

“I wish there were bubbles…” The silent one, Luna, hardly whispered. 

“Why don’t you get in the warm water, Jackie?” Lysandre asked. His tone was friendly, to which Jackie did not appreciate. He remembered overhearing his mother saying the enemy would trick people into trusting them. When the victim’s guard was lowered, the enemy strikes. 

“I can’t bathe until they are finished,” the boy murmured, avoiding Lysandre’s gaze. The coldness vanished, and Lysandre noticed the shadows at the doorway were gone. 

“Well, no sense in staying in those cold clothes.” 

Lysandre walked to the bathroom closet and pulled out a large, fluffy, white towel and handed it to a shivering Jackie who took it and sat down on the toilet seat, bundling himself up tightly. He stopped quivering and his head poked out from a mass of white. 

“Thank you, mister Lice- Ander.” 

When the girls were gone, he would let him have it. Jackie would not fall to his kindness. 

The man cringed. 

“Lysandre.” 

“Lie- sander.” 

“Let it flow off your tongue. Lysandre.” 

“Lie…” 

“Lyyyysannndree…” 

“Ly… Ly….” 

He nodded, watching the boy struggle to properly pronounce his name. 

“What’s your last name? Maybe it’s easier?” 

“Trust me, it isn’t.” 

Sophie giggled, daring to splash her sister who did nothing about it. The smell of bacon started to waft into the bathroom, and the man could hear the children’s stomach rumble. 

He could hear Archie’s boisterous laughter in the kitchen, and the sound of conversation. Without a word, Sophie slid out of the tub and pointed to the closet. 

“Can I have a towel too?” 

“You may.” 

Lysandre gently handed the girl a fluffy white towel and she quickly wrapped herself up in it, giggling. He waited patiently for Luna to get out, but she avoided his gaze. 

“She’s shy,” Jackie explained, glaring the whole time. As much as he wanted to leave, his sisters were in need of care. “You got to hold a towel for her and wait, then wrap her up and keep her warm.” 

“I have to do what?” 

Archie burst out laughing again, Maxie sipping his coffee next to him. 

“It’s very true,” Giovanni said, a small smile tugging his lips. “He refused to keep them out, but I won’t raise them. Those kids are his issue.” 

“But why would they come here?” Maxie asked, raising an eyebrow sternly. “I will not let three children interrupt my studies with Cyrus.” 

“Studies?” Archie asked curiously. 

“To figure out the Ultra Wormholes. Why they closed. It’s surprisingly difficult to understand something beyond your power, Archie. I am sure you would understand that.” 

“How far are you in your studies?” Archie asked again. 

“Not far enough,” Maxie sighed. 

A sickly cough silenced the men. They looked to a concerned Lysandre holding two bundles of towels. 

“What-” 

As if on cue, two little girls poked their heads out of the fluffy whiteness, one looked utterly terrified, and the other gave a nervous smile. 

“We need clothes,” Lysandre spoke up. One girl with silver hair and eyes tried to cover herself fully and disappear into the safety of the towel. She felt so vulnerable and weak, and automatically magnetized herself to the warmth of Lysandre’s body, pressing as hard as she could into his side. 

The other with brown hair and eyes gave a small wave. Archie waved back kindly, and she smiled at him. 

“‘ _We_ , Lysandre?” Giovanni asked, a hint of anger in his voice. “I said these are your problems, not ours.” 

“I don’t think they’ll be too bad, after all, they do have parents, right?” Archie asked. “We just slap some meat on their bones and send them on their merry way!” 

“But I need someone to wash their clothes,” Lysandre sighed, cringing as he could feel the damp towels moisten his suit. He had to shift his weight as the quiet one was moving around. 

“I am not doing it,” Giovanni said as the mug of coffee isolated his voice. 

“I’m hungry,” the brown-eyed girl mumbled. 

“I will wash their clothes,” Maxie said with a dignified huff. “Anything to get them to leave faster.” 

“Merci, Maxie!” 

“Mhm. Where are the clothes?” 

“In the bathroom. Merci again.” 

Maxie walked down the hall and entered the bathroom. Jackie stared at Maxie with wide, shocked eyes. The boy had the towel across his waist, but what caught Maxie’s attention were the marks of hands bruised across his chest. His whole torso was laced with bruises and handprints, and Maxie didn’t need to see if any were on the boy’s back. He knew. 

“Uh-” tears sprung to the boy's eyes and he tugged the towel to his chest, fumbling to cover the marks. 

“No need to explain yourself, child,” Maxie said, quickly covering his shock. “I’m just here to collect all your clothes.” 

Maxie silently picked up the small garments that littered the floor and hurried out, nearly slipping on a muddied puddle. He walked to the washroom and dumped the clothes into a washer, wondering what happened to the boy. Surely, many children were abused physically, but it was the mental affect, really that turn children either into monsters or angels. Either they could accept their fate, grow up, and use themselves to help others who suffer the same fate, but, when light is shown, there is always a shadow. They turn against the hand that beat them, and who would blame them? He sighed, rubbing his temples. Why was he getting worked up about this? He didn't even know the kid. 

His feet blindly guided him to the voices, and he looked to notice he was in the living room, Lysandre had transferred the girls onto the couch, sitting in between them. Since Ghetsis was making breakfast, he was not in the living room but rather the kitchen. Cyrus was tinkering with some metal box in the corner, his cold eyes focused on his work. Archie was playing rock-paper-scissors with the brown hair girl from across the room. Everyone was talking about the children as if they weren’t there. 

“As soon as they are clothed and fed,” Giovanni said. “I want them out.” 

“I don’t think we should kick them out just yet,” Archie replied. “The quiet one looks sick. We should at least make sure they are healthy before we leave them.” 

Upon hearing this, Lysandre placed his hand on Luna’s forehead. 

“Hm… she does feel a little warm.” 

“I’m not cleaning any kid puke,” Giovanni grumbled. 

“We do have medicine, right?” Archie asked, losing as paper. Sophie giggled, dramatically making snipping motions with her pointer and middle finger. She clearly was unbothered by being in a room full of complete strangers. 

“For Pokémon. Not children.” 

“We can’t leave this mansion,” Maxie spoke, crossing his arms. “We’re wanted men. Our faces are on posters, and I don’t think the police care if we are shot dead.” 

“Well,” Lysandre said. “We can send someone for supplies.” 

“I don’t think Lusamine will be so generous to help three children after helping six men,” Giovanni said, his brow furrowed in thought. 

“Well,” Lysandre thought. “We can…” 

“Surely you don’t mean it,” Archie said, looking up from his hands (which were paper again). 

“Anyone but him…” Maxie grumbled. 

“Your distress is making you think illogically,” Cyrus said looking up from his metal box. “Please reconsider.” 

“We are not bringing him here,” Giovanni grumbled. 

“Who?” Sophie asked curiously. 

“Guzma,” Ghestsis had answered from the kitchen. 

“Do we really have an option?” Lysandre asked. “He _is_ part of Rainbow Rocket, but not _technically_ on our level. He could help deliver items for us without the fear of getting shot.” 

Everyone grumbled as the washer dinged. Maxie excused himself to put the clothes in the dryer, and Lysandre turned to Giovanni. 

“We could send Guzma for medicine.” 

Giovanni had no expression as he stared at the wall, thinking. Jackie counted six men in total. He wanted to find his Mama, and knew she was worried. 

“This could be a setup,” Giovanni finally spoke. “Why would three children suddenly appear at this notoriously dangerous mansion?” 

“I think you’re overthinking it, Giovanni,” Archie huffed. “What can these children possibly do to us? They are sick, hungry, and probably exhausted.” 

No one said a word, they all knew the humbling defeat from children. The silence was uncomfortable. The clinking of plates sounded from the kitchen, and the smell of something baking wafted over the aroma of bacon. Archie grinned widely and Sophie mimicked his huge smile. 

“Don’t do that, child,” Maxie said thinly, noticing her shark-like grin. Too much Archie. “It’s dangerous.” 

He tossed two sets of clothes at Lysandre, who caught each one in each hand and handed them to the girls. The smallest one did not move; her head was resting on Lysandre’s leg and her eyes were closed. 

“She’s tired,” Sophie explained. “Bath time always makes her sleepy.” 

“Do I wake her?” 

“Gently,” Sophie said as she slid off the couch with the towel wrapped around her holding her outfit tightly. She bumped past Maxie who was holding Jackie’s outfit tightly. 

Lysandre gently shook Luna awake, and she sat up sleepily, rubbing her eyes. Her long hair left a wet spot on his pants, and he cringed at the glistening sheen. He sighed, handing her the outfit and she tried to make herself look as small as possible as she slunk out of the room avoiding everyone’s gaze. 

“Breakfast is ready,” Ghetsis called from the kitchen. Maxie walked to the bathroom holding Jackie’s outfit. He could hear the soft sniffles coming from inside the bathroom and set his clothes at the doorway. 

“Jackie?” 

There was a hasty sniffle of a child hiding his shame. 

“Your clothes are right outside the door. Feel free to join us for breakfast whenever.” 

Maxie left, not sure if he should have tried to comfort the child, but decided he should talk to someone who could possibly relate to physical abuse. He was not good with children, as he had other ideas for his life instead of settling down. Besides, there was no sense in bugging someone who didn't ask for attention.

Upon entering the kitchen, Maxie could see everyone was sitting themselves down, Giovanni was at the head of the table. Archie and Sophie were on the left, and Ghetsis, Luna, Lysandre, and Cyrus were on the right. Maxie seated himself next to Sophie, facing Lysandre, who was gently dusting lint off the wet spot off his jacket. 

Jackie slunk in, his face showing no traces of crying as he sat himself next to Maxie, facing Cyrus. In front of everyone were plates of pancakes, eggs, and bacon. There were cups of orange juice for each person, and jugs of syrup and a dish of butter were in the center of the table. Sophie hungrily tore into her breakfast, voraciously inhaling her meal without a single concern of whether or not it was poisoned or not. Luna just poked her pancake with a fork. 

Giovanni watched with slight amusement. On his left (our right) everyone seemed too slow; Lysandre did not eat a bite until Luna ate, Ghetsis was cutting his pancakes apart, while Cyrus just sat in silence. He really did need to eat actual food soon. 

On his right (our left) was too fast. Archie was hungrily eating his pancakes, while Sophie was matching his speed. It made sense for Archie, as he needed to maintain his muscle mass on a regular basis, but Sophie would get a stomach ache. Maxie was eating slower, while Jackie was still pouring syrup over his pancakes, staring at the liquid as if expecting it to explain the meaning of the universe. He pretty much drained the entire jug before he blinked, and the pancakes were drowned under the sugary liquid. Giovanni could _feel_ Cyrus’s disgust at the amount of sugar the boy was about to consume. Luna only took two bites before she refused to eat any more, mumbling quietly. Lysandre abandoned his breakfast to take Luna away to rest. 

What would Lusamine say to this? It was hard enough to get everyone to cooperate, and now there were children thrown into the mess. He decided to call Guzma after breakfast. Rain started to flow steadily outside; the thunder rumbled in the distance. Maxie watched as Archie and Sophie went into a wordless battle, trying to out-eat each other on pancakes, less on speed now but more on the stamina. Maxie had finished his and left the table, taking his plate to be washed. Jackie was now eating his syrup with pancakes, and Cyrus left as some sugary droplets splashed onto the table. Giovanni had finished up his meal and left to deposit his dishes. Maxie bumped past the leader and started to walk to his room, disappearing down the hall. 

“It’s a tie!” Archie barked, wiping his lips with a napkin. 

“A tie!” Sophie echoed, giggling as the syrup was stuck to her face. Ghetsis watched them with disgust. 

“We are out of pancakes,” he replied, standing up and holding his dish. “Wipe your face, child.” 

Without another word, Ghetsis left. 

“Well, kid,” Archie sighed. “It looks like we need to continue this another time.” 

Jackie watched them closely. He recognized everyone at the dinner table, and he knew they were trapped. He needed to phone for help, but where would one be? The kitchen, since there was one in the kitchen at home. The blue bandanna man, Archie, was extremely friendly to Sophie. That made Jackie nervous. She was so trusting with everybody, and these men were wanted criminals! 

“Aww,” Sophie said, sliding off her chair, oblivious to Jackie’s eye signals as Archie’s shadow engulfed her. Jackie set his fork down and tagged behind the two, already nervous. 

“Hey,” Archie directed to Sophie. “It’s still morning! We have lots to do!” 

Archie ran into the living room, Sophie giggling and chasing after him, Jackie right behind. 

\---- 

“Guzma?” Giovanni asked, staring at the static and trying to hear Guzma’s voice. “Can you hear me?” 

Static was on Guzma’s speaker end, and the blast of lightning struck nearby, illuminating the mansion’s insides before the rain started pounding down. 

“Yo- what’s up-” Static filled Giovanni’s ears as Guzma’s voice became drowned in it. Whatever he was saying next the leader could not hear, as it was quite evident that the connection was breaking up. 

“Guzma,” Giovanni said coolly. “I need you to deliver some medicine to the mansion. Human medicine.” 

He was answered with static. Giovanni sighed and stood up, leaving the room and heading to the living room. 

“I don’t think Guzma was able t-” he was cut off by the scene before him. Archie was brandishing a fake pirate sword, standing on the couch which was moved to the center of the room. A large towel with team Aqua’s logo was held up by two brooms in the shape of a cross. There even was a plank. Archie had successfully constructed a pirate ship out of the furniture. There was even a smaller “boat” to which Sophie was in, using two brooms as oars. It never occurred to Giovanni that there were so many brooms in the mansion. 

“And let us see what you have, oh, little pirate girl!” Archie pointed at her, pulling out a fully functional telescope (Giovanni had no idea where that was stored as he never seen it on Archie's person) and raising it to his eye. “I will shatter your tiny boat to ruins! Ahahaha!” 

“Not so fast, you blundering pirate!” Sophie stuttered with her six-year-old language, shaking a fist. 

“They were like this for a while now,” Maxie said while leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, speaking to Giovanni. 

“I will personally kill Archie if I find boot prints on the couch.” 

Thunder smashed the clouds above. 

“I see the typhoon has moved in!” Archie boomed. “Let’s see how your tiny rowboat can handle the forces of nature! My pirate ship can handle the strengths of these waters!” 

“Then I guess I’ll have to take it!” Sophie made a fantastic leap onto the side of Archie’s ship, climbing onto the deck. Giovanni watched in disbelief as the scene was playing before him: Sophie tackled Archie’s leg and clung to it, and the two started wrestling for the control of the boat, Sophie somehow wiggling herself around to avoid being crushed. 

Maxie left the room and walked down the hallway, opening Cyrus’s bedroom door. He was in the corner, working on some sort of machine. He quirked an eyebrow looking at a sleepy Luna on his bed. 

“It was too loud for her in Lysandre’s room,” Cyrus explained in a neutral tone, not looking up from his work. “I almost got the machine fixed to read on Ultra Wormholes.” 

“Excellent,” Maxie said, walking over. “I had some theories that might help us...” 

\----- 

“...That’s what we do with a drunken sailor, that’s what we do with a drunken sailor, that’s what we do with a drunken sailor early in the morning!” 

“Way hay, and up she rises, way hay, and up she rises, way hay and up she rises early in the morning!” 

“Way, hay, and up she rises! Way, hay, and up she rises! Way, hay, and up she rises, early in the morning!” 

Jackie had watched the two swordfight, wrestle, join together to fight a lone pirate (to which Jackie found out they were referring to him), and now they were singing as loudly as they could. At first, he wanted nothing to do with Archie, but he didn’t seem to want to hurt anyone. In fact, he was making Sophie laugh. Full of food, washed, dried, and safe from the storm, he felt remarkably better. In fact, he felt betrayed by himself when he burst out laughing watching Archie and Sophie dance to their own song, even if was terrible. 

Giovanni, watching from the doorway, did not know why he found this so intriguing. Perhaps it was because two children were dancing horribly to even worse music. Or maybe it was because of the pure joy coming from them. Archie didn’t know these children for a solid day, and yet he was bringing so much delight to them by just being himself. He scoffed mutely. He had better things to do, and children weren’t one of them. He left the room and decided a trip would be in order to get rid of the children. And possibly his house guests. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YSltK-10zk  
> Just imagine Archie singing this...


	2. Cat Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Giovanni wants something from Lysandre while Jackie searches for a phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a visual person, so I drew pictures for certain scenes, and HEY LOOK MA, I MADE IT!   
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcGHO58Y7ug <= Credit on how to upload pictures

"This is great!" Archie laughed, marching into the kitchen with Sophie at his heels. Maxie looked up from his newspaper, the Missing Person page suspiciously dog-eared.

"Are you done with your fantasy pirate games?" Maxie asked in a negative tone, folding a page crisply and setting it down on the counter as Archie trotted over to the refrigerator. Sophie was still giggling as Jackie stood at her side. 

"Actually, Maxie, we are getting a nice bottle of a child-friendly beverage!" 

Maxie raised his eyebrow. 

"Is this child making you soft, Archie?" 

"Actually, I'm getting alcohol. Sophie's getting the juice." 

"I'm sure those horrible shanties did parch your throats." 

"I'm thirsty!" Sophie whined, shaking Archie's leg. Maxie scowled at her deplorable manners. 

Jackie figured out that all Archie did was play with them, but he did not know who the man in all red was, or what his intentions were. Was everyone on the T.V. this tall? They looked a lot less scary behind a glass screen! 

"I know, Sophie, but you must say the magic word." 

"Magic word?" 

"It's please," Jackie said, walking over and eyeing the two men. He squinted at Maxie, who rolled his eyes in response. He wanted to do nothing with the boy. "She's still working on that one." 

Archie was pouring juice in a glass cup, nodding to whatever Jackie was saying. Jackie probably could have explained the physics and bending of the reality of the Ultra Wormholes, and Archie still wouldn't have listened. 

"Since when did we have juice?" Maxie asked, looking at the drink which Archie was giving to Sophie. "It wasn't here yesterday." 

"Beats me," Archie looked up, twisting the cap back onto the bottle and gripping the neck of a brandy bottle. "I thought someone bought it last night. I'm going to assume Lysandre since he's fully on board for adopting random kids." 

"That does make sense." 

Archie tipped the entire bottle, drinking thirstily. 

"He's not adopting us," Jackie snorted, crossing his arms. "We have a mom, and I know who you are." 

"Relax, kid," Archie laughed, wiping his lips with his sleeve and setting the glass bottle down casually. It sounded considerably lighter. "I'm not going to do anything to you." 

"Whatever you do decide to do, it won't work! You can't fool me!" 

"Kid, we just cleaned you up and fed you. If we wanted to hurt you, we would've done it by now. We may have done questionable things, but there's literally nothing to gain from harming you." 

"Why take us in?" 

"Ask Lysandre, kid. Not me." 

Sophie drank her juice as Jackie thought over the situation. Yes, Archie was making excellent points here. They still could not be trusted, however. Jackie remembered the woman on the T.V., telling the viewers to immediately call the police if any of the men were spotted. Didn't one of the men kill someone? 

"Can we play outside?" Sophie asked, setting her cup down. Jackie looked at her, shifting. She surely didn't sense any danger from them. Was she even worried about their current situation? 

"Ask Lysandre to do so. I'm not wasting my time," Maxie said. 

"He's watching Luna," Sophie argued. "She's sick." 

"They're all yours, Archie." 

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but it's wet outside." 

"We'll be fine!" 

"Do you want to be rewashed? I'm not sure Lysandre would appreciate you all getting dirty right after he cleaned you. When it comes to making things beautiful, he gets..." Archie and Maxie cast each other knowing looks. "Weird." 

Whatever Archie meant by that, Jackie didn't know. Sophie grumped, but Jackie was relieved, knowing he could keep an eye on both sisters this way. 

"We can play hide-and-seek!" Sophie suggested, setting down her glass and looking at Jackie. 

Archie flung a strong arm around Maxie, who's scowl grew more profound. 

"I'm not playing even if you paid me." 

_He could find out where everyone was, who they were, what they wanted._

"I'll be It!" Jackie shouted, surprising himself. 

Sophie giggled, happy to have her brother join in on the fun. He covered his eyes. 

"One... two..." 

\---- 

When he uncovered his eyes, Maxie was still in the kitchen, watching him with a solid frown. 

"I'm not playing." 

Jackie turned and looked around, casually checking his surroundings, and yes! There was a phone! He smiled inside while walking out of the kitchen, down into the living room. He had to admit; this place was lovely. Comfortable furniture, warm rooms, food... No! This mansion is the enemy's camp! He needs to get help! Mama must be worried sick, not knowing where they were. 

Taking himself down the hall, he could hear that man who let them in, Lice-ander, was it? Jackie supposed he could thank Lice-ander properly, but he was a bad guy he saw on T.V., and he couldn't succumb to the bad guy's needs. That was a trap! This whole place is a trap! 

Cautiously, like a spy, he poked his head into the doorway, one eye peeking in. 

"Hmmm… the fever is still there," Lysandre said, feeling Luna's forehead. The little girl was asleep, sweating heavily. "I'll get someone to help us, or maybe I'll go out myself." 

"You'll get shot, Lysandre," Ghetsis said, reading a book with no visible title. "Better let her sweat it out." 

"I just wonder where their parents are. I would hate to have the police find us. No doubt, they would arrest us for kidnapping. If there was a way, they could hear us out, and maybe the kids would help as alibis." 

_An alibi! Whatever that was, Lice-_ _ander_ _was going to them as alibis! He knew he couldn't trust him! None of them could be trusted!_

"I don't think anyone will be willing to hear us out at this point, Lysandre. But if we make them fear us, maybe we don't have to." 

"They already fear us." 

"But, we could use the children in our favor." _In my favor._

"What are you doing?" 

Jackie jumped so hard he could have sworn his feet left the floor. The spikey blue-haired man was right behind him, staring down at the boy. Jackie felt his soul vanish and left shivers behind as he stared right back into those cold blue eyes. 

"Uh." 

_RUNNNNNNN!_

He looked over to see Lysander and Ghetsis, staring at him with curiosity. 

"I was looking for Archie and Sophie. We're playing hide-and-seek." 

"How much did you hear, boy?" Ghetsis asked vehemently. Lysandre eyed Ghetsis. 

"Just let him play his game, Ghetsis. He means no harm." 

"He was listening in, lion-boy!" 

"If you didn't want prying eyes, close the door," Cyrus spoke up. Jackie refused to run away in fear while a wave of relief spread through his body, thankful that the man right next to him was speaking on Jackie's account. "You claim he was spying, but you speak freely over a child on the bed? Your ideas to stay hidden are extremely flawed." 

Ghetsis looked at Cyrus then to Lysandre. He glared and stood up, pushing through the doorway. He stopped right in front of Jackie, who looked up with wide frightful eyes. 

"You better continue your game, _boy_." 

Jackie stepped back into Cyrus's legs and felt his soul return just to leave again. But this time, it was slow, painful, and so uncomfortable he wished he vanished right then and there. Ghetsis walked down the hallway, and Jackie scurried into the next room without a backward glance, Ghetsis's face burned into his mind. His heart was pounding as he thought over what he heard as he walked, blindly letting his feet guide him. 

He realized he entered the bathroom. After swiping the shower curtain back and checking past doors, he entered the next room. 

Was that tall man really going to use them as alibis? He needed to get Luna and Sophie out, but how? 

Entering the room, he noticed how it became nice and warm. There was a little Groudon stuffed toy on the bed. It was the only thing that looked out of place on a well-kempt bed free of wrinkles. After checking under the bed, opening the closet, and scanning the room, he figured no one was there. He checked the room right across the hallway and hesitated. 

There was a telescope in the corner, an assortment of machines lined against the wall, and several sweets lying right on the nightstand. Jackie checked the hallway. It was empty. He just casually wandered to the sweets, making sure to search for Sophie. No, she wasn't there, nor were the sweets anymore. Quickly scrambling around the dresser, he checked by the wall. Nothing was there. He grabbed the closet door handle and just started to open the door when he sensed something. 

_Someone's coming!_

Diving under the bed, Jackie stuffed the Poképuffs in his jacket pockets and covered his mouth to stifle the breathing. His heartbeat started filling his ears as he watched the shoes of Cyrus entered his room. He stopped, then walked to the closet. Jackie knew Cyrus saw the sweets. Well, the crumbs, really. Cyrus also noticed the closet ajar and opened it. 

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRGGHHHH!!!!!” 

CRASH! 

Archie's cry filled the room as he fell from the ceiling of the closet. Jackie's eyes widened, starting to crawl out from under the bed as he could only hear what happened. 

"Woah! Sorry, Cyrus! You ok, there? The door hinges pinched my fingers, and I slipped." 

"Mmph." 

"Oh. Whoops. Sorry." 

Jackie stood up, dusting off his jacket, and looked over at the closet, grateful the two had their backs to him. Archie apparently fell right on top of Cyrus, crushing the younger one's head between the floor and his stomach. The pirate quickly stood up and lifted Cyrus to his feet, who's nose started to bleed. 

"Heh, sorry about that. Next time I fall on you, I'll do it softer." 

"What are you doing, Archie?" Cyrus asked with an eerie tone of calm, glaring at Archie, then Jackie as crimson liquid trickled down his face. It made Jackie uncomfortable that he didn't wipe it away. 

"Oh! We're playing hide-and-seek, so I decided the most logical place to hide was in your closet! But not on the ground, oh, no! That's what people expect! I decided to stick to the ceiling!" 

"Clearly, your plan backfired." 

"Yeah... it did..." 

"Found you!" Jackie called, pointing to Archie, acting like he just walked into the room. 

"Now look what you made me do, Cyrus! I got exposed!" 

"I'm pretty sure your feral cry alerted him to your presence." 

"So judgmental." 

Jackie quickly left Cyrus's room before any questions were raised, which he had to admit was pretty cool.

He entered the next room, which actually made him think he was in an aquarium or beach. There was a Kyogre doll just like the Groudon one, and the bed was slightly made. There was a picture of Archie, who had his arm around a half-smiling Maxie. They looked younger, but not by much. There was no one in the closet. Or under the bed. 

Entering the next room, Jackie saw there was not much except a very clean bed. There was a wicked cool sword with a fancy looking "P" on the middle resting against the wall. He really wanted to wield it. Wait, was it a cane? A sword-cane! 

Jackie stared at it in awe before stopping himself from visualizing himself as a prince wielding such a weapon. He swore he saw movement in the corner of his eye and checked under the bed, looking at a pair of wide eyes. 

"Sophie!" 

She giggled, snaking out from under the bed, the dust did not cling to her as she did so. 

"I guess you found me!" 

Lightning flashed, and the lights flickered, making the building go silent, causing them both to flinch, tightly holding each other. 

"I'm scared, Jackie." 

"Me too." 

"What will happen to Mama?" 

"I don't know, Sophie, but there's a telephone in the kitchen. We can use that to call someone." 

Sophie, being put in bed before the news, didn't get to see the mugshots of the criminals on the television screen. Jackie had to remind himself that she was blissfully unaware of how much danger they were in. He could warn her, but he felt it as for the better that she didn't. If she ran away now, he wouldn't be able to find her. And Luna was still sick. 

"Let's do it now!" 

"No, not yet," Jackie quickly said, the hint of desperation in his voice. He did not want the bad guys to catch on his plan. "Let's wait, instead. We still need to find hiding spots for when Mister Archie and you are It." 

"Oh." 

"It'll be ok, Sophie. I would never put you in harm." 

"Can we at least call Mama?" 

"Not yet. She's... probably not by a telephone yet." 

"It's so dark in here. Let's join them!" 

Sophie bolted away from the dark room, and Jackie stared at the sword. Something about it was... mesmerizing. He couldn't look away, almost as if he was being called to it... What secrets was it holding? Lighting flashed. And he saw the shadow of Ghetsis, looking down at Jackie and holding the sword. 

Jackie's stomach flipped over, and he spun around fearfully, his already nervous heart pounding in his ears. 

"I'm sorry! I wasn't touching it, I swear!" 

No one was there. 

He looked at the sword again, terrified the lightning would make him appear again. The room flickered, but there was no Ghetsis's shadow. Heart pounding, Jackie ran out of the room. What is this place? He knew Ghetsis was there but heard the man's voice in the living room, no physical way he could have been in the hallway then the living room in mere seconds. What was the weird phenomenon he witnessed? 

He said nothing as Archie and Sophie started another round of the game. 

\---- 

After stopping the blood flow, Cyrus washed his face and walked into his room. He sat in the corner of his room and started to screw in a very complex looking metal part into a small machine. It sputtered to life, hummed, then stopped working. He gently slipped back the side and started to precisely move the wiring around. The small sleeping girl on his bed coughed quietly, but he said nothing. 

Cyrus didn't look at Luna once as he focused on his work, working in the corner. The sooner he could get a read on Ultra Wormholes, the better. Luna coughed dryly, almost heaving on his bed. He only hesitated when the lights flickered before staying on, deciding to avoid working in any darkness. 

"Father…?" Luna asked hoarsely, her voice a whisper, and her eyes hardly open. 

"I'm not your father, child," Cyrus answered calmly, screwing in a piece. 

"I'm cold." 

"You are having a fever, child." 

She shivered and coughed again. 

"Who are you?" 

"I am Cyrus." 

"You look scary." 

Cyrus didn't respond to that. He had no need to; he knew he was 'scary,' and he knew how he could intimidate anyone by standing in the room. 

"Can you sing me a song?" 

"No." 

"Please?" 

"No." 

"Please?" 

"No." 

Luna looked like she was going to cry as her eyes grew watery. 

"Why not?" 

Cyrus looked up from his box, staring at her. She felt a sudden wave of nausea, her stomach knotting. 

"Because," Cyrus began. "Singing is an illusion of sound created to falsify the body into contentment and possible security. When your body is vulnerable as it is, you need to sharply stay alert to protect yourself, and singing is a distraction." 

Luna didn't understand half the words he said. 

"Are you a good singer?" 

"Did you hear a word I just said?" 

Luna broke into another course of sweat, bundling tighter into the blankets. Her stomach heaved, and she sat up quickly, eyes wide. Cyrus didn't seem bothered to hear her throw up on his sheets, or have specks of vomit speckle his sleeves and splash on the machines set neatly on the floor. He instead gave a silent sigh and stood up, walking over to the sick girl who started to cry, terror creeping into her thoughts. Luna gave him an apologetic look as she threw up again, tears running down her face. The bile was burning her throat, and her hands went clammy. Her heart started to race as she fearfully choked, trying to at least run to the bathroom. Unfortunately, she fell out of bed and just lay there, her limbs refusing to lift their burden. She coughed and stumbled to her feet, but Cyrus caught her before she fell on his work. He picked her up, intending to carry her under his arm, but she clung tightly to his chest as he walked to the bathroom, refusing to let go. He stopped walking to position her to his preference, but when he tried to shift her so he could carry her under his arm like a small rug, she dug her tiny fingers into his shirt and straddled his waist, forcing herself to become immobile. He shifted her, and she clung tighter, the two engaging in a silent battle. He gave up and allowed her to stay that way, continuing to walk. 

She could smell the very faint hint of pastry and clean clothes as she dug her face into his neck, begging for warmth. His arms were (finally) holding her securely, and she welcomed the comfort, silently wishing they would never reach it to the bathroom. She squeezed his shirt when they entered the tiled bathroom, where he set her down on the bathroom floor, and she started to cry as her fingers were leaving his sleeve. He was warm, and she was cold and lonely. She started to tremble, making grabby hands at the golden "G" on his back as he left without a word, and Luna hugged her knees, simply wanting comfort during her misery. 

\--- 

Jackie ran down the hallway as Archie's countdown was nearing twenty, breathing hard as he skidded into the living room, spotting the perfect hiding spot. 

"Found you!" Archie laughed, spooking a scrunched-up Sophie from under a desk. She screamed and took off running, giggling past a concerned-looking Lysandre. 

"Is everything all right?" He watched Sophie blur past as he smoothed down his cravat, to be bowled over by an equally fast Archie. They both started racing through the mansion, and Lysandre found it the easiest to simply not move and press himself against the wall when he heard their thundering footsteps. He was never answered, at least directly. He would catch a hint of a word or two when they stampeded past, sending wind to blow behind them. Lysandre decided to find Jackie while the other two were doing... whatever they were doing. While looking for the boy, he walked in on Archie and Sophie wrestling on Archie's bed. Then they were racing. Then the ground became lava (Lysandre lost immediately, even though he said he wasn't playing). Then they were racing again. Then, Giovanni shouted for them to shut up. So, Archie and Sophie started to look for Jackie with Lysandre. 

Lysandre decided to retreat to the kitchen where Maxie was reading a paper. Ghetsis was glaring at the red-head as he entered the room. 

"You better get rid of these problems real soon, Lysandre." 

"I know. As soon as the storm clears up, I'll take them home." 

"Why not now? The rain never hurt anyone." 

"It is not easy to keep like this suit in pristine condition like I do," Lysandre sniffed. "Besides, the little one is still sick." 

"So, that's what I heard last night. You cleaning your jacket," Maxie said. 

"Well, Archie spilled some batter on it, and I would not stand to have it crust over." 

"You can't stand a lot of things," Ghetsis spat. 

"Neither can you, Radish-head." 

"You want to go, Lion-man?" 

Maxie gave a very loud huff as he looked up from his paper. 

"Ladies, stay calm, please." 

Lysandre exhaled quietly, deciding to keep the tempers where they were despite the temptation to use very sharp comebacks held under his tongue. 

"Have either of you seen Jackie?" 

"Nope." 

"I try not to look for anyone deliberately." 

The tall red-head left the kitchen and started to search with Archie and Sophie. He walked in the living room to see Sophie hanging off Archie's neck like a cape, the two stomping around. 

"Hi, Lysandre!" Archie barked. 

"Hello, Archie," Lysandre greeted. "I see you're getting along easily." 

"This is great! We don't have to argue with each other and be bored waiting for Maxie and Cyrus to complete their nerd research!" 

"I'm sorry, _what_ research?" Maxie had stepped from behind, looking disdainfully at Archie as he set a newspaper down on the coffee table. 

"Maxie! Good to see you!" 

"Good to see you!" Sophie giggled, her chin resting on Archie's shoulder. 

"Get off of him, child," Maxie said without a hint of joy. 

"Aw, why?" 

"Because you can never trust a pirate." 

"C'mon, Maxie! Don't be such a Cyrus! Be happy!" 

"Excuse me?" Cyrus was standing in the doorway, staring at everyone. 

"Hey, buddy!" Archie laughed, quickly saving himself. "How ya been?" 

"Luna wants some human comfort to assist her during her illness." 

"Why don't you do it?" Archie teased. "You're just the _epitome_ of approachable." 

Cyrus stared coldly. 

"See? Even Sophie just wants to run into your open arms!" 

Sophie shook her head quickly, fear in her eyes. 

"My arms aren't open." 

"Exactly." 

There was an incredibly uncomfortable silence that followed before Cyrus spoke up again. 

"Anyway, Luna is too distracting. I need someone to aid her." 

"Oh, Ce n'est pas bon. I better check up on her," Lysandre said, concern tinged in his voice. He hurried to the bathroom. 

"Will she get better?" Jackie asked, his body suspiciously smeared with a charcoal substance. No one knew where he came from. 

"Of course, she will!" Archie boomed, turning to Jackie and patting his shoulder as his tone turned softer. "She's a good lass. She'll make it." 

"I believe Giovanni is going to get some supplies. I heard him talking over the phone to someone about medicine," Maxie said, rubbing his eyes. 

"When?" 

"Just about now, when I was throwing the sheets into the wash. I passed by his office." 

"See?" Archie looked at Jackie. "Little Luna is getting better by the moment." 

"Monster Maxie?" Jackie looked over to the red-haired man. "Are you and-" 

"What did you call me, child?" Maxie asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"Mon...Sewer?" 

Sophie slid down Archie's back and walked over to Maxie. 

"It's what he calls us." 

"He? You mean Lysandre?" 

"Yeah! But I don't know what mon-sewer means." 

"Oh no, you don't call people that," Archie said, holding back a laugh. "That's grown-up talk!" 

"It means gentlem-" 

"Oh, no, Maxie," Archie interrupted, then turned to the two kids. "This is what you must say to Lysandre if you want to sound smart. Now, repeat after me." 

\---- 

"Can I count on you two?" Giovanni asked as he listened over the phone before nodding slowly. 

"They are already imprinting off of Lysandre and Archie. They are learning French, and the little girl has quickly attached herself to Archie. She's mimicking his sentences and is smiling like him. Hm? Yes, it is extremely creepy." 

He listened silently. 

"That's right. Just find the parents, do some exploring, and do your best to stay discreet. I'll keep them unaware. Yes, I'll kill them if it has to come to that. But I'll save that to last resort. After all, I was the one who brought them here, but I can send their bodies back. Don't disappoint me." 

He hung up the phone and stood up. When did it come to this? Everything was going along smoothly until one flaw came to be, and now, he was in a monkey house. His original intent was to keep the other five here for another siege of Rainbow Rocket while the terror was still fresh, but the police would definitely find them. And the children, too. 

Three children. Three targets. He would have to wait out the storm, wait until there was news on the family. See where they were. 

He opened his desk drawer and pulled out a handgun, lifting it up and examining it. It was well cared for, and he eyed his Persian as he started to load his weapon, the bullets clicking as he thought his plan through. He would have to be careful and know the next move. 

______ 

"Don't worry, Luna, it'll be alright," Lysandre said softly, where Luna was hugging her knees and trembling, tears gushing out of their eyes. She nestled herself in Lysandre's lap, and she looked minuscule in comparison. Lysandre was already taller than the average man, but he was titanic in her eyes. 

She said nothing and was fingering the poofy fluff on his jacket, repeatedly running her hand up and down the soft texture and feeling the tears run down her face. She smelled light cologne and fresh detergent, with the very tint of coffee. She sleepily trailed her hand up to his jacket and started poking his beard, feeling remarkably calmer. 

"Luna, where are your parents? I want them to know you are safe." 

She gave a shrug and started to pet the fluff again, the faintest of smiles tugging the corner of her lips as she pulled at the softness. 

"How are you feeling?" 

She nodded sleepily and wiped her face free of tears. She stroked the fluff of his jacket one more time, her hand sliding down and she curled up against his stomach before drifting off to sleep. 

Watching this child, Lysandre wondered why he was so eager to help them. Eager? More like concerned. But why, though? Why didn't he agree with Giovanni? The children will only bring problems, and, sure enough, now the Team Rainbow Rocket will be charged for kidnapping. Technically, they didn't kidnap them, but with their reputation, he knew the police would be itching for any reason to extend their life sentences. He needed to get them out of the mansion, but where would they go? Their faces were plastered everywhere, and Lysandre seriously doubted they would not be accosted the second they set foot in any city. He supposed he could send them on his Honchkrow and fly them away, but that included a new factor of problems. His Pokémon could be tagged and tracked, or captured and used as bait. Killed, even. 

Why did he let them in? 

_What have I done?_

Giovanni cleared his throat. 

"Oh, bonjour monsieur Giovanni," Lysandre greeted, looking up to the man. Was he there the whole time? 

"Lysandre," the older man said. "I need to talk to you." 

"Can't it wait, Giovanni?" 

" _Now_ , Lysandre." 

Something ticked in Lysandre's chest. He suddenly felt cornered, and an unknown surge of anger slowly crept into the back of his mind—a feeling he long since ignored. 

"Very well, then." 

Lysandre stood up, carrying the sleeping Luna to his room where he set her down on his bed. She curled up tightly and buried her face into his pillow. 

"J'espère que tu te sens mieux, ma chère," Lysandre said to Luna before standing up and following Giovanni out of the bedroom. The hallways to Giovanni's office seemed narrower. 

The moment he set foot into the ominous room, he felt something just wasn't right. Lysandre could feel his neck hairs raise, and instead of rubbing them down, he gently placed his fingertips on Pyroar's Pokéball. 

He walked into the room and felt like he entered a cage, an enclosure of pain. He was controlled by a whip and a manipulative master. One wrong move sent pain, and only by doing what the man with the weapon insisted, would he be spared by the lash of a whip. 

"Lysandre," Giovanni said, something dangerous in his voice. Similar to the tone he used when he was not going to help with the children. 

"Monsieur Giovanni," he responded with an equally heavy tone. 

"Do you have any Holo Casters?" 

Although the question itself was innocent enough, unease refused to leave Lysandre's stomach, and he found himself glaring at the man in front of him. This... _feeling_ declined to leave him. 

"What use would you need for one?" 

"I hear the tone of distrust in your voice, Lysandre," Giovanni said, looking over at the Kalosian before him. "I gave you a place to live, have I not?" 

"After you brought all of us here without our say in it," Lysandre defended. Something was not at all right here, and his guard was shot up. He felt like he was about to be mugged, which was a very serious possibility. A nagging voice echoed in the back of his head. _Don't give him the_ _Holo_ _Caster. You are in danger._ "And we all didn't exactly jump on board your whole Rainbow Rocket idea." 

"It was difficult convincing people like you, yes," Giovanni agreed. His Persian gave a low growl, its red eyes staring at Lysandre coldly as it sat in the corner of the room, its eyes glinting. "But with much convincing, you all agreed." 

"I believe you threatened to blackmail us." 

"It was simply fierce persuasion." 

"I'm sorry, Giovanni, but look elsewhere." 

He turned to the doorway, but Giovanni shut the door right as Lysandre stepped forward to the hallway. His Persian gave a threatening growl as Lysandre stared at the wood of the door, glaring at it. 

"I have searched, Lysandre," Giovanni hissed in Lysandre's ear. He did not have to be taller to loom over the mighty Kalosian. "And you are the target I seek." 

"I'm not doing it." 

"Maybe Luna will not get better from her disease." 

"You are a distrustful Seviper, Giovanni." 

"Will you do it, Lysandre?" 

Lysandre decided what he must do on the spot, hoping, praying, that it would work. 

"I will not. Good day." 

He grabbed the door handle and heard the growl of a Persian charging right at him. 

"Pyroar! Fire Fang!" 

The mighty cat leaped free from his ball, catching the Persian off guard as its Shadow Claw attack directed at Lysandre was thrown off course. The lion tackled the cat with full force, sinking its fiery fangs into Persian's forepaw, who yowled and bit Pyroar's mane in an attempt to free itself. The two felines yowled loudly, before the Persian yanked itself free, leg bleeding and tail lashing. The Pyroar growled, and the Persian hissed, daring each other, taunting in their rumbled voices. 

"So, this is how the leader acts? Attacking the enemy from behind?" 

"It's when they turn their back in cockiness, and fake confidence is when they fall." 

“Shall we take this outside like men then? Un duel entre nous? Je n'ai pas peur de toi.” 

"I have no time for petty squabbles, Lysandre. Just give me your Holo Caster." 

"I don't have one." 

"Then, you shall make one." 

"I will not, vieux fou." 

His Persian gave a hiss. 

"Lysandre, let me make this clear. You give me a Holo Caster, and I will keep Luna alive. It would be a shame if she died under your care now, would she? I'm sure the police would love to slit your throat if an innocent girl died in your hands." 

Lysandre sighed heavily, shaking his head. He turned around and faced Giovanni, glaring down at him. He growled deeply, eyes narrowing. 

"You will do neither, Giovanni. What do you plan to do with _my_ Holo Caster, anyway?" 

Giovanni grabbed Lysandre's cravat and yanked him down, their faces inches from each other, eyes locked and narrowed in furious glares. Giovanni could smell Lysandre's suit and cologne, which was thin. Lysandre could smell Giovanni's thick cologne and treacherous thoughts. 

"What I do is none of your concern, Lysandre, but you do need to know that I will not hesitate for the sake of others. Give me the Holo Caster, and I will leave your pitiful children alone unless you get rid of them. Do I make myself clear?" 

"Fils de-" 

Giovanni gripped the cravat tightly, at the same time, bore a tight fist into Lysandre's cheek. There was a crack of knuckles against skin, and Lysandre's head was jerked violently from the sheer impact of compact rage that was unleashed. His cheek stung, and he knew it would swell quickly. 

"That was for giving me a hard time, Pyroar-man." 

His Pyroar gave an angered roar, pouncing at Giovanni, but the Persian had launched itself against the cat, blocking any attacks. The lion struck at the Persian's wounded leg, but the slimmer cat was quick, dodging any attacks. Sharp claws hooked into skin, there was a yowl, and the two felines started to wrestle to be on top, smearing blood into the fur and carpet. 

Lysandre thrust a punch into Giovanni's gut, but the leader only gasped from the forcible exhale. He did not let go, and this time he slugged Lysandre's throat, shouting profanities when he did. 

"That was for my Persian." 

Lysandre dry heaved, his Adam's Apple seemed to block his entire airway, and breathing suddenly was impossible. Gagging, he could feel his stomach churn in an attempt to throw up, but he repeatedly swallowed while clutching his throat protectively. 

_So, he really was as bad as they say. Manipulate those around him. But what does he want to_ _Holo_ _Caster for? I need to stop this animal. Stop him now!_

He stood up, and Giovanni was ready, sending a right hook into Lysandre's other cheek, forcing him to twist from the impact. Using the momentum, he turned his twist into a 360° spin and made a fierce flying roundhouse kick (tornado kick) right into the side of Giovanni's head. The mafia leader swore loudly as his ear stung from the impact. Thunder rumbled, shaking the mansion. 

He was shorter but fast. Giovanni charged at Lysandre, grappling his sides and tackling him down to the ground. The two men were rolling on the carpet, the yowling of the felines filling their ears. 

Giovanni managed to pin Lysandre down, straddling his waist and grabbing both hands. The two panted, almost using their positions for a mutual agreement for rest as sweat dripped down their faces. 

"Now, I need the Holo Caster for my own personal business." 

"I will never hand over anything to you. What do you need it for?" 

"I just need you to _trust me_." 

Lysandre's heart faltered. Exactly what he told everyone in Kalos... Giovanni was _never_ to be trusted! 

Using his legs to balance himself, Lysandre clutched Giovanni’s front and barrel rolled. 

"Why are you doing this!" Lysandre rolled to the top, pinning Giovanni down and tightly gripping his sweaty neck. He could feel the mafia leader's pulse quickly beating under his thumb. "Tell me! _Now_ _!_ " 

Giovanni stopped clawing at Lysandre's wrists as one hand slipped into his pocket. As quick as he slipped it in, he pulled out a shiny handgun and aimed right at Lysandre's chest, who eased his grip but did not let go. 

"So, this is how you act? Kill anyone who does not cooperate?" 

With the slack around his throat, Giovanni was able to speak. 

"That is how you rise to power. You take down the weak ones, and use the ones who will work for you, not against you." Giovanni's voice was hoarse. "This is why it was hard for me to get you into Rainbow Rocket. You and I don't see eye-to-eye. Our goals are different. Now, release me before I rupture your heart." 

Seeing the danger his master was in, Pyroar was spurred against his pain. He took some mighty blows, but the adrenaline rejuvenated him. He just needed to get rid of this hindrance- 

Persian bit Pyroar's tail, holding the lion in place. 

"If you kill me, I cannot give you the Holo Caster, as I had hidden it from greedy paws." 

_You fool!_ Pyroar ignited the flames in his mouth, the heat painful against Persian's skin. _My breath can cook you alive!_

"I know a bluff when I hear one. And it is my mistake in wasting so much time." 

_I know you won't,_ _Pyroar_ _. We're too close to the humans for you to do so. If you expand your fire, you'll burn your master's back!_

Pyroar kept his flames in his jaws, eyeing the two masters. Lysandre's back was to them, but they were talking. He had very little time left before the bullet rang out, and his master would fall. 

_We have taken a lot more heat than just mine!_ Pyroar spun, sinking his jaws into Persian's scruff, the latter yowling in pain as the fire was roasting his flesh and setting his fur on fire. The room started to smell like cooked meat. 

Giovanni stared right into Lysandre's eyes, but they flicked over to the side of the Kalosian's head as Giovanni pulled the trigger. 

Blood splattered the floor, Lysandre shrieked in pain, and everyone went silent as a gunshot rang inside the mansion. 


	3. Bloodshed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cyrus plays comforter and doctor, although it's unclear how he feels about it. Archie and Maxie discuss deep subjects.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel so alive.

The pain did not come, but his ears were ringing from the loud blast. Was he deaf? He was not sure if the laughing was a trick of his mind or not...

“Was that a gunshot?!” Jackie cried out, eyes wide as he stared at the hallway, which suddenly looked empty and dark. He looked up to Archie and Maxie, his stomach tightening. Archie’s jaw clenched, and Maxie’s eyes narrowed. Both seemed to be bracing for an attack; two Mightyenas steeling up for a hit.

“Keep an eye on the kids,” Archie commanded, stepping in front of the group. Jackie and Sophie immediately clung to each of one of Maxie’s legs. He did not appreciate that.

...Was he dead? Was this… the afterlife?

Ghetsis was hurrying down the hall; the gunshot was loud. And close. He needed to find out what happened, wondering if there was a corpse in the room. He hoped not. But, then again, it meant one last person to worry about. His robes silently trailed behind him along with Cyrus.

He smelled… cooked flesh, blood, and Giovanni’s office. His eyes still saw darkness despite opening them, and everything was deeply blurred. This was definitely not heaven.

Luna woke up to the room Lysandre put her in, nestling her face into the pillow. It smelled like fresh clothes, cologne, and Lysandre’s hair. She never smelled his hair before, but just _knew_ that it was she identified it as. She shivered, her stomach gurgling. She felt better, but only just. She nestled herself deeper into the pillow, hoping to somehow summon Lysandre from it to hold her. While the blankets were soft, they were in no comparison of a warm chest and supporting arms. It was like a cup of hot chocolate before bed: warm, comforting, and sweet.

“Father?” She looked at the room and saw a shimmer of light in the corner of the room, a smile tugged at her lips. “I miss you.”

The room was empty, and whatever the reaction Luna was looking for did not come. Instead, a vision flashed inside her mind, of her and Lysandre standing next to each other, the moon was in the sky, and there was someone else with them. Luna couldn’t see any more since the image was gone as soon as it came because the ear-ringing gunshot blast exploded like cannon fire in the mansion. She screamed and stuffed her face in the pillow, hyperventilating.

_Don’t worry._

Those two words echoed in her head, but that did little to calm her. She was too busy crying into the pillow to notice a draft leaving the room.

Archie almost broke something as his walk turned into a charge. He smashed through the living room, his hand on his Pokéball. Maxie, try as he might, was unable to walk as both knees were losing circulation due to how tightly the children were holding onto him. He could feel vibrations on his left leg; Sophie was trembling. _Is she worried?_ Maxie thought. _I wonder if she experienced this kind of thing before._

As his eyesight focused, he saw Giovanni holding his gun, but it was lowered on the ground in his limp hand. Interesting how something so small could cause so much damage. Lysandre felt surprisingly calm. If an earthquake struck the entire building down, he wouldn’t panic, or react at all. Something wet trickled down his arm, and he refused to look for fear he would go into shock. The last thing he needed was to freeze up while so close to the enemy. However, Giovanni looked shocked, and his eyes were distant as he stared at the ceiling as if he just dodged a kiss from death.

...The Pyroar was so close, Giovanni could feel the heat of its breath as it was right over Lysandre’s shoulder. When the lightning struck, the blue eyes shone a soulless gold, and he knew the lion was planning to kill. Was he... trembling? Giovanni mentally slapped himself; this was not the first close call he had with death, and this would not be the one that breaks him! Giovanni sat up suddenly, rousing out of his haze, and shoved an unsuspecting Lysandre back. The Kalosian shot his hands behind him to break his fall, and yelped as his arm stung in a severe burn, the warm liquid making his suit stick to his skin. His fingers brushed something course and long, and, with a cold stomach flip, he noticed it was whiskers.

” _Pyroar!_ ” Lysandre cried out, turning to see his loyal cat limp on the floor with blood pouring out of fresh scratch wounds. Its eyes were glassy and it did not respond as Lysandre pulled the lion’s head into his lap. Giovanni could shoot him right there and Lysandre wouldn’t fight back. His breath hitched and his mind was numb.

“Do not challenge me again, Lysandre,” Giovanni hissed coldly. “You should forgive me for my mercy.”

Mindlessly, he looked at his arm. The sleeve was torn and he could see red goop jutting out of a tear in the skin, straining to break free, and blood was staining the black fabric and making it glisten. Lysandre blankly returned his stare at his Pokémon, stroking the muzzle. He didn’t care if his arm was shot clean off; he felt no limb damage could compensate for the sudden loss of his Pokémon. His brows furrowed as a warm breath hit his hand... _Breathing!_ His Pyroar was alive! His heart melted in heavy relief, pounding in his ringing ears. He could feel the blood flowing back through his heart, breaking the ice that was already freezing into a shell.

His voice was a low growl when he spoke.

“What did you do to him?”

“It was what he did to you. Your Pyroar took the bullet for you. He saved your life.” Giovanni stood over the sitting Kalosian, holstering his gun. “I did not want to resort to such drastic measures, Lysandre, but I needed you to see what happens when you disagree with the likes of me. All I wanted was a single Holo Caster, and what I got was one less bullet, a stinging ear, and a very uncooperative Kalosian. Not to mention the blood I now have to clean. And the endless questions.”

Lysandre clutched his Pyroar closer to his body, glaring at Giovanni. Taking out his Pokéball, he recalled the lion. He clenched his fists and stood slowly, something malicious flashed in his eyes. Anger, vengeance, hatred, spite. Giovanni smirked, amused. He seen those expressions before, and folded his arms as Lysandre stood his full height. He bore his white teeth that were in danger of cracking at how hard he was clenching his jaw and threw back his arm for a deadly punch.

Persian was watching in the shadows, and as soon as Lysandre stood up, the large feline pounced. Shadow Claws tore through the man’s leg, striking through the upper right calf and ripping through the bottom left, shredding his pants along with the muscle and tendon; blood immediately spurted onto the carpet and splashed over the cat’s front. The cat gave a pained hiss as the burn was tormenting his flesh, and stalked away.

Giovanni smirked wider as he watched his rival tip over, shaking the furniture from the impact of his fall. Blood immediately splattered on the carpet and the pain surged through Lysandre’s body, the Kalosian blanched as he squirmed in agony, screaming and thrashing like a speared Wurmple.

“I would hate to see that happen to Luna,” Giovanni mocked, glaring down at Lysandre as he knelt over the wound, resting his hand on the good leg and… rubbing it? Digging his nails in it? The pain in his right was so powerful he could not feel what Giovanni was doing. He could probably twist the ankle on his good leg and the pain wouldn’t register until a week later. “Wouldn’t you?”

The mighty Kalosian looked up at the mafia leader with pained eyes, which turned to a dangerously enraged glare. The door slammed open, and Archie shoved his way in, brandishing his fake pirate sword that whistled in the wind as he swung it and looked around quickly. Ghetsis poked his head in, and Cyrus was right behind. Something, however, seemed to be calling to the Galactic leader. He felt this sensation before and knew the familiar tug. Turning around, he just knew what was needed from him, and he stalked off into Lysandre’s room, wordlessly responding to the mute question.

“Show yourself, coward!” Archie barked as he stormed in, turning to the flaming red-head on the floor. His glare melted and he lowered his weapon, wrinkling his nose at the smell. “Woah… what happened?”

“I won the Pokémon battle,” Giovanni said without missing a beat, standing up. “Unfortunately, Lysandre was too close to the field.”

“That looks bad!” Archie sheathed his sword and Giovanni could see his reflection in the metal as the blade slid in place. Perhaps it wasn’t fake after all. “How deep is it?”

Lysandre’s answer was a pained cry as sweat beaded on his forehead, his fingers digging into the carpet, ripping several threads free.

“Help me carry him out of the office, Archie,” Giovanni hissed. “He’s losing a lot of blood.”

“I’m on it, Gio!”

Fortunately, Lyandre’s shouts of agony were loud enough to block out the last part of Archie’s sentence. Otherwise, there might have been two attacks and a possible death.

“I shall lay a spot on the table,” Ghetsis said as he disappeared from the doorway. “Go and see if you can find something to cover it, Cyrus.”

Turning his head around, Cyrus was nowhere to be seen. Ghetsis mumbled darkly and walked down the hall.

Archie hooked his arms under Lysandre’s armpits, lifting the tall man with ease. No doubt all those years swimming had honed his body as he didn’t seem to even break a sweat. Giovanni grabbed the ankles, and together they carried the Kalosian out of the office and into the kitchen. Ghetsis had cleared the dining table and had laid a large plastic sheet over it, staring silently as they carried the man to the table, flipping him onto his stomach.

“Oh, wow,” Ghetsis said, his voice unreadable. “That’s… really bad. Do we have any painkillers for this kind of extreme wound?”

Giovanni looked somberly at Ghetsis, shaking his head.

“No, I do not. Only Potions for Pokémon.”

Ghetsis frowned and walked to the bathroom, while Archie was examining the wound. Giovanni smirked at Lysandre, and the Kalosian felt his blood boil, but he could not say words yet, just cries of pain whenever his lips parted.

“Should we knock him out?” Archie didn’t even touch the wound and Lysandre growled in misery, his leg enveloping his body in agony.

“No,” Giovanni said. “It will only bring pain to his head when he wakes up. The best we can do is wait until he passes out from the pain.”

All Lysandre could do was wait for that glorious moment for his body to release him into the depths of unconsciousness.

\-----

On his way to the bathroom, Ghetsis could hear crying of a young girl. He forgot there was another child.

“Cyrus?” Ghetsis asked as he poked his head into the bedroom, curiosity getting the better of him. He was almost shocked to see the youngest member in the bedroom holding a weeping Luna. He doubted any person, adult or child, even dared to get this personally close to the Galactic leader. “What are you doing here?”

“Luna was frightened from the gunshot,” Cyrus answered, but he didn’t seem concerned if anyone got hurt or not, as he didn't raise any questions. Ghetsis found this slightly unsettling.

“Well, Lysandre is hurt, but what are you doing to Luna?” Cyrus was holding Luna’s head to his chest, and she was trembling like a leaf, whimpering quietly. Tears were running down her face. “Hearing a steady heartbeat helps calm a young one’s nerves, especially after handling stress. She has been through too much to properly respond to another stressful event.”

“You been sitting in this position for half an hour?”

“I did not keep track of the time.”

“Ah. Well, I’ll let you continue your therapy session, although we might need your steady hands for an operation.”

“I need to dislodge a bullet?”

“No, just steady a gash wound.”

“GHETSIS WHAT’S TAKING SO LONG?? HE’S BLEEDING EVERYWHERE!”

Archie’s voice shot down the hallway and Luna nestled herself tighter into Cyrus’s chest, hiding her face. He did not do anything to comfort her aside from holding her head to his heart. Ghetsis slunk away, grumbling. After raiding the bathroom, he walked into the kitchen and set the supplies on a chair. Archie had managed to cut off Lysandre’s pant leg from the knee down, showing the true extent of the wound. Ghetsis curled a lip. Muscles were definitely cleaved, there was a tendon… holy zigzagoon was that bone?... Did the cat _actually_ cut his _bone??_

“I need you to seal everything back up, Ghetsis,” Giovanni ordered. “Archie, you hold him down.”

“Aye, chief,” Archie said somberly as he placed his hands on Lysandre’s shoulder blades, feeling the sweat moisten his palms. “Ready when you are, Ghetsis.”

Ghetsis skimmed his fingertip across the bloodied leg- and unleashed an enraged hellcat. Hissing and spitting, the Kalosian lurched across the table, making it shake dangerously, as Archie struggled to keep him in place. On top of that, he was shouting too loudly to speak any words, and more than once sank his teeth into Archie's hands or wrists whenever the pirate had to adjust himself to avoid letting Lysandre slide off the table. Sweat was running down his pale face as he lunged violently, nails digging into the table. He may have been using the moves Thrash, Screech, Desperation, Bite, Mean Look, and Flail all at once. Archie gripped Lysandre’s arms tightly, forcing the latter down.

 _What is going on? Don’t worry, Lysandre, we’ll fix you up. I know there’s more for you to tell._ Tearing through Archie’s thinking, Lysandre kicked aggressively and his foot contacted Ghetsis’s hand, cracking something. Had he been in any other situation, he would have apologized.

“Agh! Stupid- Giovanni, can you hold his legs down? Please?” Ghetsis hissed through bare teeth, clutching his hand, extremely irritated and swearing under his breath.

“I will do my best.” Giovanni walked over to the fuming hellcat’s feet and tightly gripped his ankles. He struggled to keep such energy under control. The harder the kicks caused Giovanni to grip tighter, and the tighter he gripped caused Lysandre to kick harder. It was an extremely exhausting battle. Archie could see his nails digging into the table and was cutting the plastic sheet open, revealing the wood underneath.

“I know I don’t want to cause him further pain,” Archie had to shout to be heard over the anguished cries as he tore his eyes from Lysandre’s hands and to Giovanni, who was watching Archie with an unusually grim expression. “But wouldn't it be better to knock him out? This seems inhumane.”

“Archie!” Giovanni called, a tick going off on his temple. “We are the most powerful, feared bosses ever known! Are you saying a Kalosian needs to be put to sleep for a calf injury?”

“I don’t know if ‘injury' would be the right term, here. Maybe ‘giant gaping wound’-”

“He’ll be fine, Archie. We’ve seen worse!”

“I can see _bone_ , Giov-”

With his good leg, Lysandre sent a kick that unleashed his fury and pent up energy into the distracted Giovanni, satisfied to feel something crack under his heel. That was for his Pyroar.

“GAH! Son of a-”

“Are you sure this is necessary?” Archie asked, watching Giovanni tying Lysandre’s wrists with thick rope. “I could knock him out-”

“ _No!_ ” Giovanni snarled, fumbling with his swollen wrist to make a tight half hitch knot, danger glinted in his eyes as he turned to face the talker. “We are feared men! Pain will not make us weak!”

Archie blinked, stepping back. Why was he so defensive? For some reason, Lysandre didn’t pass out from sheer blood loss, almost if something was preventing him from doing so… He eyed Giovanni suspiciously.

“Who shot the gun, then?”

“It was a blank. You think I’m crazy enough to shoot a loaded gun in a building? I have no target.” _But I sure do now._

Hmm… that did match up… at least.

“Why did you fire a blank?”

“It… was not…” Lysandre hissed, his chest heaving as his voice was laced with pain, tears pricking the corner of his eyes. It was clear that he was beyond suffering.

“What?” Archie frowned. Lysandre jolted fiercely, crying out in agony as Ghetsis had to tweeze strips of cloth that started to stick with the hardening plasma, carefully peeling them out and starting to sweat. His hand got kicked right on the thumb from Lysandre’s previous lashing. Nothing broke, but it was very uncomfortable and throbbed with each tweeze. His black robes and unnecessarily wide collar weren’t helpful, either.

“Archie, go get Cyrus.” Archie left and headed to the bedroom, walking in. Luna was asleep against Cyrus’s chest and he looked at Archie.

“You’re needed,” Archie said. “It’s quite the emergency.”

Cyrus stood up and gently tucked Luna in the sheets. He followed Archie into the kitchen, and would have faltered if he hadn’t seen things stranger. Lyandre was spread-eagle on the kitchen table, his ankles and wrists bound by rope that was tied to the legs of the table. He looked like a Pyoar tied down for an emergency surgery. Ghetsis was working on a very mangled calf, while Lysandre fought back, screaming against his bindings and exhausting himself by struggling. The ropes were too tight for him to kick, and he could only tense and twitch, his limbs powerless to aid him. Cyrus walked over and Ghetsis set his tools down and stepped aside, swearing under his breath.

“The… gun…” Lysandre gasped; his voice was hoarse. “Giovanni…”

“Hush, Lysandre. Your pain is making you delirious.”

Archie cast Giovanni a suspicious glance, and opened his mouth to speak, but Maxie beat him to the punch.

“Archie?” Maxie asked, walking into the kitchen and wrinkling his nose at the smell of blood and exposed flesh. “The children are needing you.”

“Oh, ok, Maxie. I’ll be right out.” The sea-dweller left silently, and Maxie took his place.

Cyrus did not say a word as he spoke, aligning pieces the best he could. It was very awkward; standing with nothing to say to do, pretending there wasn’t a team member screaming in pain on the table. Eventually, Maxie was told to get a small towel and he returned just so they could shut Lysandre up with it. While he was relieved to have something to do, it was extremely uncomfortable waking back into the room, where Giovanni ordered him to shut Lysandre up with the cloth by stuffing it in mouth, to which Maxie crossed the line. Already irritated by his injured hand, a dull headache forming from the constant noise, and the blood staining several rooms which he had to clean, Giovanni snatched the towel and almost knocked out teeth from how forcefully he stuffed the cloth in, choking the Kalosian with the towel. Maxie almost felt bad for the former.

While the muffled pained screaming was nicer, it felt… wrong, to say the least. To watch someone get stripped of their dignity and image slowly and painfully, to have them suffer through an entire amateur operation, to be humiliated and tied down like a piece of cargo. To have such a strong self-image ripped away with no control over what will happen. It was indeed low, and Maxie shuddered, imagining himself on the table. The leg would hurt, but his ego would also be damaged, possibly more than the physical. If _he_ were the one injured, he would pass out from the pain and be spared the dignity of being fully aware of everyone watching this humiliating display. However, Lysandre did not pass out, which struck Maxie as odd. This amount of blood loss would have made anyone faint a while ago.

“Why don’t we just knock him out?” Maxie asked Giovanni, but he answered silence. Clearly, Giovanni was asked this several times judging at how he deliberately ignored Maxie. His eyes met Lysandre’s, and Maxie turned away. He cruelly reminded Maxie of contained Pyroar; limbs tied down to prevent scratching, something in the mouth to avoid getting bitten, and while they had no need to blindfold the man, it only would have added to the confusion. A Pyroar may not exactly understand why he would be tied down, a human would. Lysandre knew exactly what was going on, yet he was not being treated like a human being. Cyrus frowned, gently laying a tendon back to its proper place before slowly setting his tool down on the table, leaning back.

“I do wonder if there is any surgical kit inside the building. I can align the pieces, but it will be challenging to keep them in place when I wrap it up. Unless you can keep them in place while I wrap it up, Ghetsis?”

Everyone turned to Gio.

“Do you have anything that can constitute a surgery kit?” Maxie asked, quirking an eyebrow and turning to Giovanni.

“I do have a needle and thread, but I hardly use it.”

“I know the police are after us, but I think this man needs a doctor.”

Ghetsis inwardly smiled. One less opponent.

“He will be fine,” Ghetsis said. “People have been through worse, and in less comfortable locations. He just needs to sweat it out, and it will hurt, but it will get better.”

Maxie sighed, defeated. Two against one. Well, maybe two against two, if he removed Lysandre’s gag. He wanted to believe the gag was there to prevent any little kids from learning unnecessary French, but the Magma leader strongly doubted his assumption. Since he was more into geology than anatomy, Maxie had no use to be in the kitchen anymore and walked to go outside.

 _Wait_ , _there’s three children, not two. Where’s the third one? Ah, yes…_ Maxie altered his course mid-step and walked down the hallway, entering the bathroom, but did not see her. Curious on where Luna went, he poked his head in Lysandre’s room and saw her, curled up like a baby Sandshrew.

“Luna?” Maxie asked, walking in the room. The little girl was sweating heavily, twitching and grunting. _I wonder what she’s seeing right now._ He placed a hand on her forehead, taking note of how warm her body was. He sighed and shook his head. With Lysandre injured, who would take care of three now? Archie was great at burning his eternal energy with the two, uh… Jack? Jackie. And Sophie. But if Luna was more than suffering, Lysandre couldn’t drive a car, or walk, or… anything, really, if she had to be rushed to the hospital. Maybe Archie could take care of that.

“Cyrus?” Luna asked, her eyes fluttering.

“I’m not Cyrus, child.”

She was in deep sleep again, as if no else besides Cyrus was important to see. Maxie could care less if she favored him, getting rest was optimal, anyway. He looked outside the window and could see the backyard. Archie was sitting in the grass, talking to Jackie and Sophie, judging by his hand motions, it was something serious. Maxie left Luna to rest room and passed through the kitchen. Giovanni was trying to calm a very agitated Lysandre, while Cyrus was busy on his leg. There were strips of gauze on the floor. Maxie slunk out to the backyard, walking silently behind Archie. The two kids flicked their eyes up to Maxie then back to Archie, but said nothing.

“It may be scary to live, but it’s not bad to die,” Archie said.

“But, will Lysandre die?”

“Probably not. Pass out, maybe, but not die.”

“How do you know?”

“Well,” Archie frowned. “I don’t. But the circumstances are leaning more to the positive side.”

The two kids looked at each other.

“Meaning,” Archie continued. “He has a good chance at living.”

The two smiled at each other, before Jackie looked at Archie.

“But what happens when we die?”

“Your soul leaves the body. Your soul is the strongest thing to ever exist, but the body is not. That’s why you need to keep yourself healthy.”

“But what about people who kill themselves?” Jackie raised his hand in confusion. Even Maxie faltered. Archie blinked several times. Why would a ten-year-old even know of this? The marks across Jackie’s chest flashed in Maxie’s mind.

“Well,” Archie frowned, picking his words carefully. “When people…” _Hm. This is going to be tough._ “Well, when people lose all hope, they hit the lowest point in their life, Jackie. They don’t see the point in existence.”

“Why would anyone do that? What would make them so miserable?” Sophie asked. Why were children asking such serious questions??

“Life is a tricky thing, Sophie,” Archie said, speaking slowly and carefully, trying to speak in a way that they would understand while also letting them know the realities of life. “It is harsh, deceitful, and there will always be someone trying to do wrong.” How does he even say this? “But someone who does wrong doesn’t always know what they're doing. They’re lost and hurt, but there are others who know exactly what they're doing. They know they are sinning.”

_Giovanni cast a smirk at Lysandre, who could only clench his fists as Cyrus was wrapping up his leg._

“But you must never blame your past for becoming who you are,” Maxie said, walking to Archie’s side. “You can only decide who you are.”

Jackie shifted uncomfortably.

“You can either turn a dark heart, which is easy, or look past your pain and lift others up. After all, you could be the reason someone else lives. Think of it this way; you had a hard life, and you choose to reflect your past into your present, and you hurt someone because you don’t know how to fix your own pain. That person, affected by your negativity, turned hard and cruel, and just like that, they hurt more people. Unless someone does not respond like the rest, and live life with an open heart. They could help someone hurting, help someone who was hurt by you. Or maybe you are the one who helps the hurting.”

Maxie paused, repeating the last part in his mind to make sure what he said made sense.

“I don’t like this,” Sophie mumbled, hugging her knees. “I don’t like how sad this is making me.”

“That’s life, kid,” Maxie sighed, “the painful, raw, life thrown right into you and you cannot stop it. Life will make you sad, but there’s no reason to lose your life over it. You have to push through it, stay strong and be who you are.”

“What about people who have no choice over dying?” Jackie asked somberly.

_Why, Jackie, why?_

Archie pondered the question.

“Well…”

“They have no say in it? What if they were going to help society, but died before they got the chance?”

“Well...” Archie and Maxie cast uncomfortable glances.

“Mommy killed her baby,” Sophie said casually as if discussing the weather. "Does that count?"

“ _Sophie_!” Jackie hissed. It was clear she should have not have told anyone, more or less know the information. Archie and Maxie both looked at each other with very uneasy looks. They obviously go more than they bargained for. “What? I heard her talking over the phone about it.”

“That isn’t something you need to blurt out to strangers!”

“Why? They’re nice.”

Jackie gave a growl.

“Listen, kids,” Archie intervened. He decided to change the subject. “You will be sent home first chance. You can see your mom, and forget this ever happened. Jackie, I can tell you want to go home.”

Jackie huffed, then nodded. It was clear he was still heated about Sophie’s comment.

“That would be nice.”

“You must think we’re terrible people.”

“I _know_ you’re terrible!”

“Are we?”

Sophie shook her head while Jackie nodded.

“Why?”

There was a quiet that hushed through the yard. Jackie stared at the two men. They fed him, washed his clothes, gave him a roof over his head, entertained him, helped his sisters... No, this is exactly what they wanted. To lower his guard and strike him down as his defenses are lowered.

“All the stuff you did on T.V., why should we trust you won’t do the same things again?”

“Well, legal reasons, really. But even if we did retaliate, there’s no point in directing it against you.”

“But you will do them again?”

“Most likely not,” Maxie answered this time. It was clear Jackie was still extremely suspicious, so Maxie continued. “Our Pokémon are already weak. The police want us dead or alive, we’re stuck here without any hope of escaping, and we want you to leave as soon as possible. If we unleashed another widespread attack, the police would probably find us immediately and brutally tortu- kill us.”

“So why did you help us?”

“Ask Lysandre, kid. Not me.”

Ask Lysandre. Ask Lysandre. No one else has the answers? Wait... _Lysandre!_ Not lice-ander! How did he not know?? 

“Jackie?”

“Huh?”

“You alright there? You looked a little out of it.”

“Yeah, just figured out something. But, if you want us to leave, why haven’t you sent us home?”

“Ask Lysandre, kid. Not me.”

“Wait, Maxie, he has a point. We don’t need Lysandre’s permission or anything of the sort. We can just send them home now.”

“Only one flaw, Archie.”

“What’s that?”

“ _We. Can’t_.”

“Oh, right...”

“Wait!” Jackie raised his voice. “Why not!”

“Well, we can’t just walk into town and not expect to be attacked,” Archie shrugged, scratching the back of his neck. “And you can’t fight in a Pokémon battle, or expect to survive an attack from one. One of your party has the flu, and you have no food,”- Archie started counting his fingers- “water, medicine, camping gear, survival knowledge...”

“Okay, okay, I get it!” Jackie snapped. As much as he would hate to admit it, Archie was right.

“...And you have no idea where you are.”

“Well, what should we do, then?” Jackie folded his arms. If the enemy was this easy to get information out of, he may as well get as much as he could from them.

“Well, seeing as the sun is getting ready to fall and you are just as helpless the morning you arrived, my best bet is to have you champs rest here for the night.”

Jackie’s heart lifted, while his mind was forming a plan. It was risky, and he had to make sure no one would catch on, but it would work.

“Well,” Jackie frowned. _Play it cool, don’t get too excited right away._ “It beats having no place to go. Besides, Luna needs the rest.”

“Let’s see, Jackie and Sophie are small enough to be able to share the guestroom,” Archie pondered, Maxie wearing the same squint as the two eyed each other. Jackie had been wondering if they were brothers the whole time, if not, best friends. “I doubt Luna will stay in Lysandre’s... we can move her to Cyrus’s. Yes, he hardly sleeps, anyway...”

While the two were discussing the sleeping situation, Jackie was making his own plan. He would have to wait until everyone was asleep, make a very quick phone call, and wait to be rescued. He knew Mama would be ecstatic at the information he had gathered.

“It is arranged, then.” Maxie said.

Pretending to be disgusted to be sleeping in an enemy headquarters, Jackie shrugged and held Sophie close, careful not to act too suspicious.

“Should we remove the gag?” Cyrus asked as he slid back off his chair, wiping the tools from blood. Lysandre’s calf was successfully bandaged, and the mighty Kalosian was dripping with sweat, his face ghastly and his nails dug into the wood. In fact, they might have been stuck.

“Let him rest,” Giovanni said, waving them off.

“Tied to the table?”

“He should have exhausted himself by now. We can untie him and let him rest in his room.”

Cyrus, the only one without damaged hands, first started on his wrists.

Lysandre immediately yanked the gag from his mouth, and unleashed a torrent of very intense French words that would have made anyone uncomfortable. Even Ghetsis raised his eyebrows as Lysandre roared his words like a Pyroar, showing exactly how aggravated he was, clawing his way across the table to Giovanni right as Cyrus untied his ankles. Lysandre dragged his lower half, trailing blood across the part of the plastic sheet that wasn’t clawed apart. He reached the very end, his face almost level with Giovanni’s and bore his shiny white teeth.

“That was _barbaric!”_ He violently slammed his hand down and sank his nails, which became remarkably shorter since the beginning of the operation, deep into the table, threatening to break the upper part of the wood.

“That is _mahogany!”_ Giovanni gasped, angered that Lysandre damaged the expensive table. Ghetsis stared. Cyrus showed no reaction.

“Does it look like I care?!”

“Take him to his room!” Giovanni barked, his temple ticking again. The two men had difficulty lifting the taller one, especially with Ghetsis’s robes in the way, and they marched into Lysandre’s room, laying him down on his stomach onto his bed. Lyandre groaned in pain, blanching as he was set on the impeccably smooth sheets.

“He’ll be alright,” Cyrus said, walking out of the room, taking the chill with him. Ghetsis wished he had his cane on him, lugging the lion-mane brute was a terrible burden on his legs. He looked at the mighty Kalosian and then to the damaged leg. Lysandre needed someone to talk to, but Ghetsis wasn’t trustworthy enough. Then again, he could be helpful in stopping Giovanni. He decided to roll the dice of chance, staring at the man before him.

“Ghetsis,” Lysandre gasped, craning his neck. “I need your help.”

Ghetsis looked over and waited for the rest of the explanation.

‘“Luna is in trouble, really deep trouble. She might not get better.”

“And?”

“And I want you to protect her.” Something flooded in Ghetsis’s heart. “And the other two, they’re more favored to Archie, but I want you to keep an eye on them. But. Keep. Luna. Safe.”

“You have my word, Lysandre,” Ghetsis promised. “I won’t let her out of my sight.”

He turned and left the room, his smile growing wider and sinister entering the hallway.


	4. Uncles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rest is the best thing for healing. Calling is the best thing for communication. And Archie is the best for swimming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://youtu.be/30_aZolNuJk  
> I think I been watching too many wholesome videos. Gosh darn, I want to babysit again.

To say Lysandre’s morale was low the next few days would have been an understatement. While he held his end of the bargain and told everyone that he stepped too close during the fight resulting in a nasty blow to the leg, his demeanor shifted drastically. He refused to ask for help on trips to the bathroom, although no one actually seen him out of his bed. Finding him in the hallway, or any other room for that matter, was just as equivalent as finding a Shiny sitting in the hallway just waiting to be captured. Laughter almost went extinct in the mansion that night, and only Sophie was the most cheerful. No one (except Sophie) had an appetite, either, as the smell of exposed human flesh does make certain people nauseous, along with witnessing human muscle anatomy in person. With a quick dish of buttered noodles on a now scratched-up table, she was sent to bed with Jackie, as Luna was still asleep in Cyrus’s room.

It was morning after the day of the cat fight, when Jackie jumped awake and took a minute to remember where he was. His eyes were heavy and it took a while to wake up, but he was determined to keep an eye out on everyone, especially on the shady Giovanni character, as he deemed Maxie to be safe. He didn’t analyze Ghetsis yet, and he noticed how exhausting it was to keep tabs on everyone. He looked at the bedside clock and read that it was ten past four. Still early, possibly early enough to make a phone call, as he was ushered out of the kitchen before he got the chance. When he tried to sneak back, Giovanni was at the table and did not leave before Jackie grew impatient and left. His stomach clenched when he thought about the phone call that he didn’t make and sat still for a while, trying to remember when he fell asleep.

He watched Sophie’s sides move slowly, and slid off the warm, welcoming bed and fought the urge to jump back in and bundle up into the warmth. The floor was forgiving and hid the sounds of his footsteps, and he paused when he heard deep snoring from the distance. He had a mission, and the phone was his objective. He determinedly stalked down to the kitchen; his heart oddly calm as he was not afraid. Perhaps it was because when Mama was with him, he knew they were going to be safe. He almost felt giddy as he passed through the doorway which seemed bigger than he remembered. His feet quickly got chilled by the linoleum as he stared at the phone refusing to blink, as if it would disappear if he looked away for a second. It seemed like an eternity before he reached the phone, his fingers gently wrapping around the receiver- he could almost hear his mother’s voice filled with pride- and punched in the numbers of his home.

\---------

Stars were winking in the lightly cloudy sky as the police car pulled into the driveway to a small summer looking home. The shudders were painted a dark blue that matched the front door, while the windows reflected the stars that mottled the dark blue sky. The siding was a sun kissed white hidden by tall pink and purple flowers. The yard was neatly trimmed and lined the driveway with small shrubs mottled with dark purple berries that threatened to fall off.

“Looks like we made it,” the female driver said. “You think tying those two officers to the tree was a bit too much?”

“Naw,” the male passenger said, adjusting his collar. “They’ll be fine. Besides, they were new recruits. No one would even notice them missing.”

“Now, you know what to do,” the female said. “Any calls made from the mansion-”

“I know, Cassidy,” the man said testily. “Don’t actually track any calls. Just act like I know what I’m doing. I mean, Jessie and James got away with it for so far.”

The two exited the car and walked up to the front door, knocking. A large police chief with a big gray mustache opened the door, eyeing down the two.

“About time. I was skeptical about having such fresh recruits on the job, but since it’s a common case, I figured it would be good work.”

“Common case?”

“People go missing all the time. Due to this specific situation, we need a lot of manpower behind this case.”

“And woman power,” a lady officer hissed from the hallway, eyeing Cassidy and Butch sharply. She had a tight jaw and her hair was vanished under her cap. She looked charmingly feminine at the same time tough and determined. Cassidy eyed her back, but looked at the chief who cleared his throat heartily.

“It’s an _e_ _xpression,_ Josie,” the chief grumbled, his eyes rolling before he mumbled in an undertone to the two, “don’t mind her much... she rightfully worked her place to be a cop. She just is... hardheaded, to put it simply.”

It was clear he had many things to say about her, but he chewed his tongue as he disappeared into the kitchen as Josie followed him, Cassidy and Butch trailing behind. The house looked like one with three rambunctious children would look: full of love and very messy. But the rooms littered with toys looked impeccably clean compared to the kitchen, which looked like someone tried to fix a broken water pipe with tissues. Empty tissue boxes littered a filled trashcan, while a sobbing mother was slumped at a table, a picture of three children was in her hand.

“I h-heard h-his v-v-voice!” the mother sobbed, blowing her nose noisily into a tissue. “It w-would h-have been imposs-ss-ssible to b-be him!”

“And you can, in fact, verify that he owned a Lapras, and it was his voice?” a very tired-looking detective asked, scribbling in a pocket notebook. It looked like a punch to the face would finish him off as he was swaying gently where he stood.

“He couldn’t possibly be alive,” Josie hissed, glaring at the detective. “I personally saw his suicide. Me and Ole’ Fatso here.”

She jabbed a thumb at the chief, and Butch could see he clearly wasn’t fat. He was hefty, but it looked like it was more muscle that gone to seed, and doubted that the chief wouldn’t lose a wrestling match even if it was snuck up on him from behind.

“B-but I heard th- the voice!” the mother bawled. “I _know_ it was him!” She slammed the table sending a few papers to halfheartedly flutter away. The attention aroused a figure in the shadows that Cassidy and Butch didn’t see before. He was a thin, pale man, very well-toned, with black hair sleeked into a ponytail that ended at the back of his neck. Both Cassidy and Butch were forcibly reminded of a cat, and eyed him carefully as he them.

“We saw his shadow!” the mother sobbed, taking a shuddering breath.

“But did you see his face?” Josie snipped, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, no-”

“Then it wasn’t him.”

“But-”

“It could have been someone training their Lapras.”

“But-”

“Thunderbolt is a very powerful attack combined Rain Dance, use Helping Hand, and it’s a deadly useful combination.”

“It was _him_!”

“How can you prove it?”

The mother gulped and wiped her eyes. There really was no proof, as even the shadow was not enough. But she _knew_ it was the silhouette of the man she hated. The man who destroyed her life, who caused eternal trauma, who internally damaged her and disrupted her world. Even the name made her bristle. Samael.

“All we can do is wait,” Josie said curtly. “Hope those children didn’t die or are currently dying.”

No sooner did the words leave her lips when the blast of the phone pierced the air like a church bell. It was deafeningly loud as they all hardly dared to believe who they thought was calling was really calling. Butch hurried to the machine as the mother lashed out her arm so fast Cassidy heard something in her elbow pop. The mother raised the receiver to her ear, and tears of relief washed over her face as what looked like years of stress melted away, her shoulders sagged and she let out an exhausted sigh.

“Jackie!” Everyone turned their attention to the mother, while Butch was at the machine, watching her. “Jackie, where are you?!” Her brow furrowed. “Bad guy camp?” Her face drained of color as she stared ahead. “Rainbow Rocket?!” The chief silently drew a breath, while Josie clenched her jaw tighter. Cassidy cast a glance at Butch, who nodded minutely. “Did they hurt you?!” The mother asked, before her voice shifted to disbelief. “Helped?” Her eyes narrowed. “Jackie, where are you?” Everyone leaned in as if they would be able to hear what Jackie was saying if they did so. “Mansion...?” Josie threw her hands in the air as if to say “I knew it,” and the chief’s brow furrowed. Cassidy nodded back to Butch, who was watching the mother intently. The man with a ponytail did not react as he watched the scene unfold at the kitchen table. “Jackie wait-” The line went down before the mother set the receiver down with shaking hands. “All three... are with Rainbow Rocket...”

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she swayed in her seat. The news hit heavy with her, as she imagined the worst scenarios possible with her son and two daughters. Six fully grown, evil men and two vulnerable, defenseless girls with only one boy for protection... She slid off the side of the chair and hit the floor, passed out.

“Oh, dear,” the chief mumbled as Josie picked her up, the detective helping her. Together, they carried her to a couch and set her down.

“I knew it,” Josie said. “They are hiding out in the mansion. We need to storm it-”

“No,” the chief huffed. “Stealth mission. If we give them warning, they’ll use the children as hostages and plan an escape.”

“What makes you think they _won’t_ use the children as hostages even if we stealth attack them?”

“We need to plan this out precisely. We could try to snipe them,” the detective said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin.

“That could be a possibility,” the chief said. “But to be undetected? And take down all six at the same time?”

“Hunter,” The chief said, looking at the man with a ponytail. “Ideas?”

“They will definitely try to use the children as hostages. With six, there’s a good chance someone will die, but we need to calculate exactly their motives. We can surround them, tell them surrender the children and if they do, we take them back and put the all of them in prison after we beat their sorry as-”

 _“WeTechnicallyCan’tCussInThis-”_ the Chief coughed into his hand in one breath.

“That’s not technically-” Hunter stared blankly then sighted deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Option two, we sneak into the mansion, take the kids outside undetected, and when they go to get them, we dart those men. Sure, it might be traumatizing to the kids, but we could make them sleep through the whole thing. Now either we can incapacitate the criminals, maybe tranquilize them.”

“Or we can just go in and storm the place,” the detective suggested.

“We need to discuss this at headquarters,” the chief said.

“No,” Hunter hissed. “Me and my bounty hunters want that reward. Do what you want, but me and my team will get them all. Alive, even. You will find out a lot more if you don't kill them.”

Josie glared at Hunter and hissed, “We need to discuss this further. The safety of the children is the top priority.”

Cassidy and Butch cast each other nervous glances.

\----------

Luna felt much better when she woke up, her eyes fluttering open to see Cyrus slumped against the wall, his eyes glazed over. It took her a while to realize he was, indeed, asleep, but must have done so accidentally as there was a small notebook crammed with complicated math theories and calculations, while a pencil was still held in his fingers. She sat up slowly and yawned, rubbing her eyes trying to remember a peculiar dream she had. She was with an Ursaring, and if she remembered correctly, Lysandre was there. Was Jackie there? She remembered someone saying something, but any memories of her dream faded like water in a sieve. She climbed out of the bed and looked around. The building was dark and cool, and it felt almost like a cave as she started to shiver; she felt cold now, and her nose was seriously blocked.

She started to crave heat, and the sensation of using her legs was surprisingly exhilarating as she curiously walked down the hallway. Still, she felt very nervous. It was still dark outside, and she could hear Archie’s snoring in the next room over, which made her jump when she first heard it. Cyrus’s room was excellent for muting such sounds, which must have been why she couldn’t hear him while in bed. Another sound caught her attention, which Luna eventually identified it as Lysandre yowling incoherently into a pillow. Walking to the end of the hall to snake her way into a random room (she really just planned to enter anyone’s room for their body heat to fall asleep against), she heard Jackie’s voice in the distance and drifted to the familiar sound, curious. Shouldn’t he be asleep?

“...in bad guy camp, Mom!”

She approached the kitchen and ducked behind the doorway, watching her brother. She didn’t feel like getting his attention, as she didn’t want to startle him and accidentally cause him to hang up the phone prematurely.

“Yeah! Lysandre took us in, Mom! Archie plays with Sophie, Maxie glares at us, and Ghetsis and Cyrus haven’t done much. Giovanni doesn’t like us.”

She clutched the door frame tightly. She did want to say hello to her mother...

Jackie was nervously tugging the phone wire as he paced in a circle.

“No, Mama. In fact, they helped us…”

Luna stifled a yawn as she watched Jackie nod.

“Yeah, they bathed us, fed us, gave us a place to sleep…” Jackie frowned as if he just figured out something extremely important, the realization dawning on him. He blinked a few times and shook his head before his tone changed entirely. “They’re a lot taller than I thought, especially Lysandre and Ghetsis! Ghetsis’ head brushes the door frame when he goes through them! Lysandre is even taller and has to duck sometimes! And Archie looks like he could beat anyone in a fight! Maxie doesn’t smile much, but he’s smart! And-” He frowned as he was cut off then shifted. “I don’t know. But it’s a very fancy mansion.”

Luna heard the floorboards creak somewhere in the building. They creaked again, but slower and closer. Footsteps.

Something tugged her chest, something mutely begging her to return to bed and not get caught. She slunk away down the hallway, back to Cyrus’s room, but stopped at the entrance of the hallway, which was where Lysandre’s and Ghetsis rooms were. To her left, she could see the lights still on and pushed open the door silently. Lysandre was doing his best to rock himself while also doing his best to prevent moving his leg, at the same time he was whimpering in pain, convulsing sporadically when a flood of pain shot through his body. Luna didn’t know what spurred herself to do it, but she walked over to the side of his bed. He looked at her with exhausted, bloodshot eyes and stopped his “rocking” as she looked at him. He reeked of cologne and blood, but she didn’t seem to mind so much. In fact, she leaned over and looked into his eyes without a trace of fear or worry.

“Yes, Luna?” Lysandre asked with a voice so shredded and dry it sounded like one good voice crack would make him lose his voice entirely. “Do you need something?”

“Are you hurt?” Luna asked gently, her voice like a soft flower against his cold, rocky one.

“Yes, Luna. I am hurt.” She looked at him and yawned widely before looking him up and down, her eyes narrowed as she appeared to be analyzing. “Do you need something, Luna?”

“I’m cold.”

“Well, we could get you some blankets from the- what are you doing?”

Luna pulled herself onto the bed and started crawling across his sore back, literally shoving his right arm into his face to make room for herself. He raised his eyebrows in surprise, but held back a whimper as she kneed his side.

“Luna-”

She plopped herself against Lysandre’s sweaty side, clearly not giving a care about what he was saying. She gave a deep sigh of contentment, pulled his arm back down to use as a pillow, and pressed her back against his warm side. She didn’t care that he was making her entire backside damp from the sheer amount of sweat he was producing, which gave Lysandre slight comfort as she didn’t act repulsed or disgusted at his current state. He hissed through his teeth as he was forced to move his bad leg so she could fit comfortably. He found out the best way to do so was to pull his bad leg with his hips, so he wouldn’t have to use his torn leg muscles. The slight shifting of his leg caused tears to prick his eyes again as the pain rattled up his spine and back down his calf. A curtain of silver hair covered his face when she lied down, and, since he was on his stomach, he could only move his face against the pillow to wipe his face clean of any hair that stuck to it. He sighed, craning his neck to lift his head off the damp pillow and found it was the easiest to rest his chin against the top of her head.

“Lysandre?”

Her voice was small and faint as they stared at the blankness of the dark room. Her voice was watery, but at least she was talking now. What was more impressive was that she nailed his name right on the time.

“Hm?”

She felt her entire body shift from the movement of his ribs, and she pressed herself harder against his side for warmth.

“Are you a bad guy?”

He was quiet for a short moment before he spoke.

“Yes, Luna. I am considered a bad guy.”

“Why did you help us?”

 _Why did I help you?_ He thought. It was a question that had been festering in his mind for a while now.

“I don’t know. I guess I felt bad.”

“Then you’re not a bad guy.”

“I wish it was as simple as that, Luna.”

“Well, I don’t think you’re evil. Just confused.”

It was a rather long silence before Lysandre realized Luna fell asleep. He blinked slowly at the darkness, thinking. He nearly destroyed Kalos, and now he was stuck in a bed while sweating out a severe leg pain. Did Kalos still exist? He sighed and felt his fingers go numb as Luna was cutting off the circulation to his right arm. Lysandre knew he couldn’t keep her. She wasn’t his, but _why_ did he accept them so openly? Why did he stand up against Giovanni to let them in? He should have said no, but he let them in. Was it because they would have died? That would have been good, though, right? That there would be three less people in the world? He let out an exhausted sigh.

A thought struck him and he shuddered as an emotion he didn’t know existed aroused in his chest. Did he want to become a father for the children? Was that why he didn’t see them as mere children, but as lost children he specifically needed to protect?

That was preposterous ...was it?

Yes, it was.

_Get a hold of yourself, Lysandre. You didn’t sacrifice your time, energy, and body to create these children. They aren’t yours and you know it._

Lysandre closed his eyes and could hear Luna’s congested breath rattle under his chin. A breathing rhythm he knew he wouldn’t hear again.

_Ironic. Sometimes beauty is where we least expect it._

He felt his arm growing cold but refused to reposition himself or move, knowing how sore he would be in a few hours, and laughed humorously in his head as he knew this was nothing compared to full-time parenting.

How would he be able to return them? An idea of passing them off as his own faded as soon as it had come. Bright, orange hair and two children with brown hair and one with silver? His already damaged reputation didn’t need to be muddied with false claims of him as a gigolo.

He tried to think of new ideas to return the children, but his brain refused to think of nothing but adoption despite knowing fully well that it was impossible. He hated himself for the idea, but every time he thought of holding a child such as Luna to his chest gave him a weird twang in his heart.

_But, they aren’t yours!_

It would be nice, though...

_Doesn’t matter. The longer you stay the more you grow attached. Besides, they don’t like you. And that’s good. I just need to send them home, anyway._

But, with a damaged leg, one can’t go far, can’t he? Oh, shame...

_No! They are NOT yours! You did nothing to raise them! They must miss their parents. That’s what I’ll do. I don’t care if I get shot. I need to return them, and if they’re back home and safe then that’s all that matters._

Lysandre sighed quietly as his entire arm was now numb. Still, he would not move as he could feel Luna’s petite frame breathing slowly against his side. He wondered if he would ever procreate and continue the Fleur-de-lis heritage, but seriously doubted it. Especially with the peril everyone was currently in.

Luna was right, he was very much confused.

_________

“Good morning, Jackie,” Archie greeted as Jackie walked into the kitchen, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He could smell the strong fumes of coffee. Maxie was reading a paper with new headlines, “Police find possible traces of Rainbow Rocket, Three Children Allegedly Safe."

“If you can’t leave the mansion, where do you get the newspapers?” He looked at the Team Magma leader who flipped a page noisily, avoiding the question.

“Don’t mind him,” Archie said as he sipped some coffee. “How did you sleep?”

“As well as one can surrounded by enemies,” Jackie replied coldly. During the call, he heard footsteps coming to the kitchen earlier that morning, and in panicked haste he had slammed the receiver down and hurried to the sink. He planned to do the old, “I’m thirsty,” tactic for a reason why he was in the kitchen, but it turned out to be a large and powerful cat. It had bandages wrapped around its neck, and Jackie was unsure if it was a female or not, and didn’t use any pronouns as he tried to pet it, in case he offended it and the cat hurt him. It didn’t respond as he pat the soft fur while looking at the gem that reflected the moon. The Persian refused to leave and stared at Jackie the whole time. Deciding not to call home again with the intimidating beast in the kitchen, Jackie bid it goodnight and went back to bed, irritated that he hung up the phone so quickly.

“We didn’t kill you, lad, now, did we?”

“No.” Jackie rested his chin in his arms, frowning at the newspaper that Maxie was hiding behind, his backside leaning against the countertop.

“I’m hungry,” a sleepy Sophie said as she yawned, entering the kitchen. Her hair was disheveled and looked like she slept in her daytime clothes, as it was the same outfit from yesterday, except more wrinkled. Jackie took off his jacket when he went to bed, and slept in his daytime clothes, too. He remembered waking up from a bizarre dream that involved Luna, but was Sophie there? He decided to forget the dream and focus more on the reality, and eyed Archie as if he might spontaneously combust.

“Oh, right,” Giovanni mumbled as he entered the kitchen. “You’re here.”

“Not for long,” Jackie hissed back, eyes narrowing. “The police will find you all.”

“And we’ll be ready,” Giovanni responded coolly.

“Say,” said Archie, taking another sip. “Why don’t we exercise our legs for a little bit?”

“Can we eat, first?” Sophie asked, offended that they would ignore breakfast like it wasn’t a sacred moment of the day. Jackie glared at her.

“Sure, uh, what would you like?” Archie asked while opening the fridge, crouching to see what was in it.

“Food.”

Archie laughed, pulling out a carton of eggs. Jackie wondered how they were supplied with food if everyone was locked in one building with no trips to the store. Maxie flipped a page and took a long swig from a mug before setting it back on a counter. Sophie followed Jackie’s gaze.

“Why are you always dressed like your cold?” She addressed to Maxie, resting her chin in her hands. He flipped the page again, but Jackie wasn’t sure if he finished reading the article yet since he just got on the page, or there was nothing good to read in the first place. “I would be so hot!” Sophie continued as if Maxie said something. “It’s in the summer, you should wear shorts, well, those shorts without those really long socks. Or those giant rain boots.”

Maxie flushed, lowering the paper to stare at Sophie, appalled. Archie burst out laughing, cracking a few eggs in a pan and making them sizzle.

“Naw, kid, one time, Maxie here decided to go to the beach with me, and wore some swimming trucks. No socks or long boots.”

“What happened?” Sophie asked, sitting on her knees and leaning on her elbows and watching Archie with great interest. Archie looked at her, unable to keep a straight face.

“He impaled three people with his skinny knees.”

Sophie roared with laughter and Jackie felt himself grin. Giovanni snorted into his cup of coffee.

“That’s _not_ what happened,” Maxie scoffed, but the corners of his lips were twitching.

“Well there’s another time,” Archie began, scrambling the eggs and applying a generous amount of salt. Jackie felt his mouth water at the sheer amount of sodium that would be flooding his system in a few minutes. “Maxie decided to go to a pool party. Instead of wearing trunks, he decided to where them short bathing suits that only cover what’s needed” -Jackie blushed and cursed Archie for the stupid image his brain wanted to create. He could only see Maxie in his full getup, bobbing in the middle of a pool with his usual displeased expression, while everyone around him were splashing and swimming. “He was wearing his giant jacket he likes to wear, and when he got there, he took it off.” He sighed, deep in thought as if he were staring at a distant memory. “Three people went blind that day. Even sunglasses couldn’t block the unholy glow of his pasty white skin.”

Sophie was beside herself with laughter and Jackie couldn’t help but join her.

“That’s enough, Archie,” Maxie hissed, but a whisper of a smile trickled on his face.

“Don’t you impale me with your skinny knees, now,” Archie said innocently while dishing out plates of scrambled eggs. Both Sophie and Jackie howled with laughter, and Maxie buried his face into the paper, but his shoulders were quivering.

Archie set two plates in front of the siblings.

“Archie,” Sophie said as she speared her eggs with unneeded intensity. Jackie took a mouthful. “Can you be my uncle?”

Jackie’s mouth flooded with saliva as he could feel salt coating every inch of his tongue and choked.

“Uncle?” Archie grunted in surprise, and Maxie’s eyes appeared from the top of his paper. “’Fraid not, sis. It’s a not as easy as you think.”

“I know uncles are brothers to Mama,” Sophie said knowingly, giving him a look as if he insulted her intelligence. “And you can be my uncle. It’s just a title, and you can have it.”

“Well-” Archie and Maxie looked at each other, unsure what to say.

“Sophie,” Jackie hissed, coughing into a napkin. “You can’t just give that title away. He’s _not_ our uncle.”

Sophie was gobbling up her eggs like there was no tomorrow, and Jackie wasn’t sure if she would inhale her fork, too.

“What the kid said, lass,” Archie agreed.

“Besides,” Maxie interjected. “He’s a horrible uncle.”

“He’s pretty fun to me.”

Everyone but Sophie noticed the awkward tension that drifted into the kitchen like a cold draft.

“Say, why don’t we go out exploring after breakfast?” Archie suggested, eating his own breakfast.

“Yes!” Sophie chirped, at the same time Maxie and Jackie groaned.

“Come on, pal,” Archie chortled, swinging a massive arm around the former and making him stumble. “It’ll be like the good old times!”

“There were no good times,” Maxie gasped as the wind was knocked out of him, pushing his glasses up as they slid down his nose.

“It was kind of funny when you impaled that one kid with your knees.”

“I did not- ok, fine, I’ll go. But only if you shut up about that stupid joke.”

“I'll go too,” Jackie volunteered. “For Sophie’s sake.”

“See?” Archie beamed, grabbing Maxie’s shoulders and shaking him so his glasses slid down again. “One big happy trip!”

While filing out of the kitchen, Jackie slid his salty egg concoction back into the warm pan, desperately hoping Luna would stay asleep the rest of the day.

_____

Giovanni was in his office, speaking to a computer screen that showed the face of Cassidy and Butch.

“So, I see,” Giovanni said wistfully. “They want to give us the slip. Well, I knew this time would come.”

“You did, sir?” Butch asked, looking mildly surprised.

“Yes, I have, which is why I need that Holo Caster now. By immobilizing Lysandre, I will be able to find it without him or his cat in my way.”

“Sir,” Cassidy said. “Everyone is at headquarters discussing what they will do. They might be suspicious if we keep showing up late. We’ll update you on what they plan to do.”

“Very well.”

The call ended and Giovanni leaned back in his chair, staring thoughtfully at the ceiling.

______

“This is great!” Sophie squealed as she ran ahead of the group and circling back like a never-stopping boomerang. They were traveling off a dirt trail that was hugged by trees on each side, years of abandon had let to vines and roots to sprout and wind across the trail.

“If you say so,” Maxie mumbled, his eyes glazed as he was staring off at something in the distance. “Although, I will say the fresh air is rather refreshing.”

“Fresh air? What about water?” Archie asked in a voice so innocent that Maxie and Jackie immediately grew suspicious and eyed him.

“Archie, there is no water,” Maxie said, his voice burdened with skepticism.

“Just think about it! We’re surrounded by it! In the plants, the air... right in front of us.”

Jackie looked ahead, and sure enough, in the distance behind a cluster of trees, was a thick river wider than a road and snaked away into the distance.

“Oh, wow!” Sophie gasped, brightening up and immediately bolted ahead.

“You know this was here, Archie,” Maxie said without a hint of surprise.

“Who, me?”

“Careful, Sophie!” Jackie called out as his sister ran down the path that ended a few feet before the river. Thin, spindly trees blocked the way, but the lake was accessible by merely pushing past the branches. Archie laughed, shoving through the bushes with ease and joined Sophie’s side, standing on the bank of the wide river. The shore line gently eased into the water, and on the other side, walls of roots tangled along the shore, stripped clean of the dirt. The current looked slow and easy, leaves lazily floated past and sticks drifted behind, almost tempting them to swim. The water looked fairly shallow.

“Can we swim? Please?” Sophie begged, shaking Archie’s leg with the desperation of a puppy wanting to play.

“Absolutely not-” Maxie said, holding his glasses lens.

“YES!” Archie shouted, gripping the front of his suit and tearing it off in one clean swipe, revealing a blue and white wetsuit. He made a fantastic leap into the air, tucked his knees into his chest, and landed into the water with a great splash, spraying everyone on land. Jackie was amazed at how he took off his top and bottom with one hand as he stared at the crumpled clothes, but decided not to question the logic.

“Jackie! Swim with me, please!” Sophie whined; her eyes filled with hope. He stared at her, then to the water which Archie was speeding through. At her age, Jackie would have wanted to play. Archie explained to them why he wouldn’t harm him or his sister, and clearly, he just wanted to swim. Maxie did not do anything malicious to the them, and didn’t appear to be plotting anything evil as he was currently wiping his lenses with his jacket. They would swim, return to the mansion, and Jackie could check up on Luna. Besides, he called Mama, and she knew they were in the mansion. She knew they were safe. All he really could do now was wait.

“Well, alright.”

“Yay!”

“Just take off your shoes, first.”

Sophie already had done so, and jumped right into the water, making the biggest splash she could, which was nothing compared to Archie’s. Jackie took off his shirt and shoes, as he left his jacket at home. Dipping his toe into the water, he was surprised at how it wasn’t as cold as he was expecting. It was still cold, just not unbearable.

“Uncle Archie?” Sophie asked, floating on her back, her hair surrounding her face like a mane.

“Don’t call me that, lass,” Archie said in a dismissing tone. Although they were fun, he knew the dangers of having someone too attached. Especially if they were going to be sent home.

“Are you and Maxie best friends?”

“You bet,” Archie said, the same time Maxie said, “Not at all.”

Sophie dipped herself under the water, reappearing at the shoreline at Maxie’s feet.

“Why are you so grumpy all the time?” She asked, treading water. Maxie looked at her.

“Because I have three nuisances giving me headaches.”

“But Luna’s not even loud,” Archie noted.

“I was referring to you,” Maxie sniffed.

Jackie dunked himself below the water, opening his eyes. Everything was clouded and looked further than it really was, but what he could see was that Archie’s feet were touching the bottom of the river. He swam closer and circled him, before swimming next to Sophie and emerging, gasping loudly. She giggled and splashed him, before swimming off. Jackie swam after her, and the river became a large playing field for water tag. It was terrifying when Archie was It; he would torpedo through the water at terrifying speed, sometimes without a sound and snatch someone from behind, causing them to gasp so hard it would make their chest hurt. Or other times he would make his presence known, splashing noisily as he shot through the river like a bullet, the water shining behind him like a large, speckled tower. That alone caused Maxie’s adrenaline to go through the roof.

Maxie sat himself down and watched the three play in the water like Sharpedos. And spoke up after Archie had snuck up on Sophie from behind and bear hugged her while standing up, lifting her out of the water. She was shrieking delightedly and flailing to get free when Maxie stood up.

“It’s time to get out of the water,” he said with a tone of a firm parent.

“Aw, why?” Jackie asked, practicing his form.

“Because, that,” the team Magma leader answered, pointing to a large and ominous thunder cloud that was darkening the skies. After picking up their clothes, the team walked back to the mansion; three sopping wet but grinning widely. After quick showers, the team regrouped into the kitchen where Maxie made four steaming mugs of hot chocolate. Excusing himself, Jackie slipped away and hurried to Cyrus’s room, only to walk in on him and Ghetsis in a serious conversation. The two refused to speak another word in his presence, and Jackie left, feeling unusually creeped out.

“Luna?”

He found her, all right. She was in deep sleep with Lysandre, snuggled up like a newborn Litleo against a Pyroar’s side.


	5. Guzma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group discusses a plan, while Giovanni and Jackie start developing plans on their own. Guzma brings hope and health, and inspiration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually had to alter the damage to Lysandre's calf due to the storyline. Originally, it cleaved straight to the marrow to show how dangerous Giovanni's Persian is, but after some research on the human leg, I quickly figured out that it would have been a burden on the plot. And Lysandre would have bled out. So, oopsies.

"Cyrus," Ghetsis said as he was staring out the Galactic leader's window. "I know how we can leave this place." 

"Maxie and I have been trying to study-" Cyrus began, but Ghetsis didn't want to hear it as he cut through Cyrus's voice.

"You been trying, but have you _done_ anything?" 

Cyrus's expression hardened, and Ghetsis somehow kept eye contact without blinking, which may have been more stressful than any of his plans in Unova. 

"Listen, Cyrus," Ghetsis continued, narrowing his red eye locking with Cyrus's blue ones. "Forget these Ultra Wormholes. It'll take too long to figure out. Even with you and Maxie's nerd brains, I hardly doubt you two will figure out anything." Cyrus's eyes threatened to freeze the moisture in the air, and Ghetsis stared back with equal hardness. "We can't just sit here while Giovanni skirts in and out of his room as he pleases. Either he helps us with the Ultra Wormholes, or we risk it at the airport." 

"How do you know the other regions still exist, Ghetsis?" 

"Well, if the regions got destroyed, wouldn't the news have been in the headlines from the papers Maxie mysteriously gets?" 

Cyrus stares, deep in thought, at Ghetsis, who thought his lens would crack under pressure from the ice-cold gaze. 

_Blink already, you little creep._

"It would have been in the news, but we were fighting for power for weeks with no update on the world. It could have been a possibility that we overlooked it, or never caught wind of what we had done to our regions." 

Cyrus finally blinked and looked at the window. Ghetsis didn't realize his exposed eye was watering from how dry it became. 

"I think we have a better shot at visiting the airport, Cyrus. No one will want to stand up to the powerful men who brought terror to this land." 

"You think, for a team meant to bring terror, the name would have been picked better," Cyrus said blandly, watching a fat raindrop slither down the window. "I never saw anyone run away from a rainbow." 

"Yes, well, it is pretty sappy sounding..." Ghetsis mumbled in an undertone before raising his voice to standard level as he turned to Cyrus. "But do you think we should attempt it at the airport?" 

Cyrus's lips parted as he was about to speak, but his head turned eerily like a Noctowl's to look at the doorway. Ghetsis followed his gaze and stared at a sheepish looking Jackie, who looked like he was caught in the act of doing something he shouldn't have. 

"Oh, uh, is Luna here?" Jackie asked, grinning weakly. 

Cyrus and Ghetsis said nothing, their gazes colder than an Ice Beam as they didn't move or talk. Jackie coughed uncomfortably, and his eyes darted to the bed to see she was missing and shifted. "Uh, thanks, I guess." And he hurried away, wringing his hands. 

Cyrus and Ghetsis return to look at each other.

"You better hope everyone thinks our Pokémon are as strong as they were at the start of Rainbow Rocket," Cyrus said coldly. They both knew that it was a massive bluff and risk to go in public and threaten to stop anyone who gets in their way. It was just as risky as Giovanni to go in public with an empty gun. No one would approach him because of a weapon in his hands, but no one would know it would be unloaded. 

"What would you rather do, Cyrus," Ghetsis said with a flare of impatience, egging on the Galactic leader. "Go to the airport and risk getting heckled with, or stay here in the mansion and wait until the police come, ready to kill?" 

Cyrus stared coldly at Ghetsis again, deep in thought. Behind those creepy eyes, Ghetsis knew he was playing out the scenarios in his mind.

"Very well, Ghetsis," Cyrus says, blinking as slow as he spoke. "We will leave as soon as we can. Shall we address this to the group?" 

Thunder rumbled in the distance. 

"Yes. Let's go find everyone." 

It wasn't hard; two of the members were in the kitchen, drinking hot chocolate with the children. Sophie had a chocolate mustache, while Jackie was fishing the marshmallows from the bottom of his cup. 

"Hello, TweedleCreepy and TweedleCreepier," Archie greeted in a cheery tone, waving the two down as they entered. 

"Archie. Maxie," Ghetsis hissed, his eye trailing to the two children who were busy competing for the most marshmallows left in their mugs. "...Kids." He squared up his shoulders and looked at the men. "Cyrus and I have an idea. We should discuss it in Lysandre's room." 

"Why not here?" Archie asked, setting his empty mug down. 

"Because, genius, we can't exactly have Lysandre walk in here," Maxie said curtly. "Someone go and fetch Giovanni." 

As Archie left, Ghetsis saw Maxie pour something cold and clear into his mug from a small bottle with a tired sigh. He slipped the small bottle somewhere inside his jacket and took a long sip from his mug, closing his eyes.

"I win!" Sophie giggled as she looked up from her cup; her face smeared with the sweet drink. 

Cyrus stared at her without a flicker of emotion, and she stared back at him, beaming. Ghetsis could _smell_ the fear protruding off the little girl despite wearing a stupid, cheeky grin. 

Jackie noticed her fake smile and set his mug down next to Archie's.

"We're going home?" 

"I hope so," Ghetsis spat. Sophie's warm, full belly suddenly iced over at his tone. 

"Maxie," Cyrus addressed to the Magma leader. The red-head looked up from his mug with raised eyebrows. "We can stop our research on Ultra Wormholes. Ghetsis has a proclamation for the whole group." 

"I don't think 'proclamation' is the correct word to use, Cyrus," Archie said as he entered the kitchen, walking over to the group. "More like 'idea' or-" 

He quickly shut up as Cyrus gave him a stare so intense the room actually chilled a degree or two. 

Giovanni emerged into the kitchen, looking at everyone with a look of annoyance. Thunder rumbled again, closer. Abandoning their drinks, everyone filed into Lysandre's room. He was in a deep sleep, and a tiny Luna was curled into his side. Jackie and Sophie stared at the bloodied bandages that wove around Lysandre's calf that was propped up on a small nightstand. They couldn't take their eyes off of it. 

"Hey, Lysandre's finally asleep," Archie pointed out, looking at the unusual pair while rubbing his beard.

"We should let them rest," Cyrus said dully. "Rest is needed for the body to repair and restore itself." 

"The sooner we have the children out of our presence," Giovanni countered, glaring at everyone, even the children all though they didn't say anything. "The better. Would you rather wait for them to awake and allow the police to raid us?" 

"Very well," Cyrus mumbled. Archie gently shook Lysandre with his fingertips, almost like they would shatter if he pressed down too hard. 

"Hey, wake up, Lysandre. You too, Luna." 

Giovanni rolled his eyes. "And during this matter of life and death," he snarked. "Why don't you fetch them glasses of water and an extra blanket?" 

Shoving the pirate aside, he pressed his palms against Lysandre's body and shook him so violently the bed shuddered noisily. Lysandre's leg shook the nightstand, and the smell of fresh blood filled the room. 

"Don't scare her awake!" Jackie snarled, sinking his fingers into Giovanni's pant leg and pulling as hard as he could as if that would do anything. 

Luna jumped awake, her eyes frantically darting around the room to reveal seven blurry faces, and she screamed bloody murder, waking Lysandre up much faster than the shaking. He shoved himself up onto his elbows, eyes wide but unfocused. His entire right arm flooded with warmth and a heavy tingling sensation as the burden blocking the circulation was suddenly lifted. 

"Dontuchhertakemehinsted!" He slurred, baring his teeth and tensing, blinking unevenly. Luna stopped screaming, seeing a space between the bed and Lysandre, and scrambled under his chest, curling up even tighter as she vanished under his body, staring at everyone in the room with wide, frightened eyes. 

Maxie and Archie cast each other uneasy glances. 

"That's not good," Giovanni hissed darkly as if he just gargled poison. 

"Clearly," Cyrus said, his cold eyes staring at the two. "She feels safe when she's near him, or in this case, under him. I know certain personalities feel safe when a familiar or secure environment surrounds them. She's seeking refuge under him. An instinct in newborns to stay close to the protector." 

Everyone turned to Cyrus. While Maxie was nodding for him to continue, Cyrus didn't get the chance to discuss his observation as the Plasma leader took the floor. 

"Listen, everyone," Ghetsis said, waving off Cyrus's observation. "We all are here for the discussion of the new plan." 

"New plan?" Giovanni asked, wiping his hands on his suit. Lysandre clenched his teeth, blinking awake as he stopped himself from yowling in time and converting the agony into a hiss of pain. His leg was flaring up, and he didn't need to wonder why. Lightning illuminated the room with a snap, and Lysandre could feel Luna tense up somewhere under his chest. 

Sophie could see a sheen of red seep through the bandages and widened her eyes. 

"Woah! Is it really bleeding that fast?" She blurted, watching the red liquid seep through like water rising from the ground. "It looks like someone spilled cherry juice-" 

"That's enough, brat," Giovanni growled with a tone of warning. She magnetized to Archie's leg, and he could feel her shoulder pressing into him. Jackie glowered at Giovanni, wanting the lightning to somehow smash through the window and strike him.

"Does it hurt when you touch it?" Sophie asked quietly, her fingers dangerously close to the wound to test her theory. 

" _Yes_ , it hurts when you touch it!" 

"The reason we're all here is that Cyrus and I talked," Ghetsis spoke up again, glaring at everyone as if they were rambunctious schoolchildren. Any extra noise died down at once. "We decided it would be better to take the chances of going out in public instead of taking an Ultra Wormhole." 

"That is a big risk," Maxie concluded, thinking. "After the Rainbow Rocket, people are already nervous, and the police are extremely active." 

"How did you not get shot, Lysandre? When you went out?" 

Lysandre gave them a confused look. 

"When you bought the juice." 

His brow furrowed deeper in a more confused expression. 

"People know us for the dangerous crimes committed," Archie said. "Even if Lysandre was recognized, I doubt people would try to challenge him. His Gyrados could easily kill under command. Any of our Pokémon can. But they're just so exhausted..." 

"The public doesn't know that," Cyrus said. "If Giovanni pointed his gun to you, would you step aside or assume it's empty?" 

Everyone had to agree with the logic, nodding, and mumbling in agreement. 

"Should we truly take the risk, though?" Maxie asked. "And what about the children?" 

"We should leave them somewhere," Giovanni said. "Either drop them off and show everyone that we just want to leave or leave them and never turn back." 

_Or hold them for ransom._

"What do you think, Lysandre?" Giovanni asked, turning to the Kalosian, his tone suddenly darker. "How should we get rid of them?" 

He knew he couldn't keep them... 

"Who are your parents, children?" He asked tiredly, looking at Sophie and Jackie, who was currently eyeing Luna as if Lysandre would just attack her. 

"Our mom looks like me, and our new dad looks like Luna!" Sophie proudly answered, stepping up to the bed.

"Why don't we leave them here?" Cyrus asked. "If they find the mansion, they will find the children. We will all be gone by then, and the security would be lessened at the airport as they will be in the forest, hunting us." 

"We don't know when they'll be here, though," Lysandre defended. "We can't just leave them here to starve." 

The room went silent as the outside rumbled with thunder. Something flickered in Giovanni's eyes, and Lysandre felt Luna pressing herself into his stomach like an animal backing up into the safety of a cave. 

"Have you grown soft, Lysandre?" Giovanni hardly whispered, yet he could hear every word as if they had been shouted. Jackie held Sophie's hand, feeling her flinch whenever lightning struck. 

"We could use them as hostages," Maxie suggested. "Keep them with us and board the planes, and leave them in the terminal after the plane leaves." 

"That's not a bad idea," Archie agreed. 

"Will the car even fit us all?" Ghetsis snapped. "I say we leave them here." 

"If we take them," Giovanni said thoughtfully, eyeing the children as if they were piles of leaking trash bags. "Then, we could use them as our safety cards." 

"I say we leave them," Ghetsis grumbled. "We should send a message to every screen of Alolah, so everyone can see they should not mess with us; tell them we are holding the children. If they threaten to kill us, we kill the brats. On camera, too, so they know we aren't messing around." 

He was smiling wider the closer the end of his sentence neared and seemed rather pleased to have the idea of human sacrifice broadcast to hundreds. Everyone stared at him. 

"Ok, we're leaving," Jackie said nervously, pulling Sophie away from the Plasma leader. He would try to escape a dark forest in a raging thunderstorm with no Pokémon to protect them than be murdered by the lunatic Ghetsis. 

He was going to get Luna, but a heavy hand grabbed his shoulder, holding him in place. He looked up to see Archie looking down calmly at him. 

"Don't worry, lad," the pirate said. "No one's killing anyone." 

"We should show them we mean no nonsense," Giovanni said, nodding slowly. Lysandre felt his neck hairs bristle as he noticed Giovanni's gaze flick over to him. "Use the kids if we need to. But we will not take them with us." 

"It is settled, then," Ghetsis said as lightning struck closer, making his lens flash as he spoke. "We leave them here and go to the airport." 

"Just one teensy problem," Archie said, taking his hand of Jackie's shoulder. "If the other regions are altered, we would have walked into a big dead end." 

"Do you want to chance it, Archie? Or wait here where you're guaranteed to be found?" 

"I'm just not sure. This seems like a massive risk." 

"Archie, this whole plan is a risk. But we can only take the chance to succeed. I risked the creation of bringing you all here to make Team Rainbow Rocket, and see where it ended us." 

Jackie's stomach tightened, as Sophie and Luna didn't know these six members were _the_ Team Rainbow Rocket. If she found out who they really were, well, who knows how she would react? Watching her in the corner of the eye, Jackie saw she did not even catch what Giovanni said, and breathed a silent sigh of relief. Thunder growled distantly. 

"Someone's massively injured, three added characters, and we all lost. Horribly." Cyrus said with a tone of what-are-you-trying-to-prove-here? "Not to mention that we're all trapped here with only Guzma as our hope for supplies. And even the communication to him is unreliable." 

"Giovanni cares not for pokémon," Lysandre hissed. "Or us. He wants us out." 

_I'll expose the snake for what he is._

"Pity you don't see the truth, Lysandre," Giovanni said, his expression unreadable. "It is settled. We will leave the children here." 

"When will you leave?" Sophie asked. "I don't want to be here alone..." 

"Why not when the storm clears?" Ghetsis asked. 

"No, Giovanni answered. "We have to wait. If we move Lysandre now, we will be sure to be caught. Besides, we must wait until the police are close enough, but not enough to find us. We must wait and plan this exactly. I'll be in my office, setting up our escape." 

He left the room, and Ghetsis did as well. Jackie and Sophie tried to convince Luna to leave, but she pushed herself harder into her "cave" of safety. Lysandre, (who's arms were getting tired from propping himself up), had to talk silently to ease her out from under him, and, with a gentle nudge like a Pyroar convincing a Litleo to go exploring, Luna sheepishly returned to her siblings. 

Lysandre watched as everyone started shuffling out, hissing " _Archie!_ " repeatedly through his teeth. His heart lifted as the pirate of a man finally stopped, looking around for the noise source. Maxie noticed him falter. 

" _Maxie!_ You too!" 

Cyrus and the children left the room, and it was only Maxie, Archie, and Lysandre in the room. Lysandre looked at the doorframe nervously before spilling out everything that happened, starting before the catfight and ending at the present time. The storm outside was pounding by the time he finished. 

"...And I can't let him take my Holo Caster!"

Lysandre was quite out of breath, whether it was because of how sore his throat was and how he had to force himself to talk, or because he had to keep his secret tightly locked away inside and finally was able to let it out. Either way, he felt like he was slowly lowered into a warm bath of relief as Archie and Maxie listened with serious yet sympathetic expressions. 

"That's not good at all, lad," Archie grumbled. "But, we can help in protecting the children." 

"We will do anything to help you," Maxie said, pushing up his glasses. "We can interrogate Giovanni." 

"Interrogate me?" 

All three went silent, and, in Lysandre's case, paled, as Giovanni stood in the doorway. Archie scooted away from Lysandre and gave Giovanni a broad, cheesy grin. 

"Never mind that," Maxie said, giving less of the impression of getting caught red-handed as he calmly slid his glasses up his nose. "We will do whatever it takes to get rid of those nuisances posthaste." 

_Nerd._

Maxie walked to the doorway, which Giovanni was blocking, and the older man had to back up to let him pass. Giovanni walked down the hallway with Maxie, and Archie gave Lysandre an apologetic glance, almost nervous about leaving him alone. 

"Are you coming, Archie?" Giovanni asked. The sea-dweller could visualize Giovanni's stern glare, and quickly retreated to where the two were, working his way to Maxie's side. 

Giovanni looked at the two as they were walking down the hallway. 

"What were you talking about?" He asked the two leaders as they entered the kitchen, where Cyrus was staring coldly at the two as they came. Ghetsis was at the table, where the three children were sitting, eyeing him. 

"Eh, nothing important," Archie dismissed. He could feel Giovanni's eyes boring into the back of his skull. 

They could hear the conversation taking place at the counter.

"Were you serious in killing us and broadcasting it on television?" Jackie asked, glaring at Ghetsis, but there was fear in his eyes.

"Whether or not I was serious," Ghetsis snarled, his one eye trained on the two kids. "It would not have mattered." 

"Why do you wear one part of your glasses?" Sophie asked as Ghetsis was watching Luna with his one healthy eye. She seemed to ignore everything Ghetsis said about having them killed as she didn't sound remotely worried. "It would make sense to wear two." 

Giovanni passed through the kitchen and disappeared down the hallway. 

"My other one doesn't work so well," Ghetsis said blandly. "Why do you talk so much?" 

"I like talking. Can I braid your hair? It's so long." 

"No." 

"Can we play Tea Party?" 

_"No!"_

"I think a tea party with Ghetsis is a great idea!" Archie snorted, unaffected by the death glare coming from the Plasma leader. "I'll start some water!" 

"Oh, boy!" Sophie giggled. "All of us can have tea!" 

"All of us?" Maxie grumbled. "I don't think so." 

"Yeah," Jackie agreed. "It's a _girl's_ game. You and Luna are the only girls here." 

Luna shifted uneasily and scooted closer to Cyrus. He glanced at her but had no reason to say anything. 

"Sometimes, even big men need a nice, warm cup of tea," Archie said, setting the kettle on the stove. 

"Can we have cookies, too?" Sophie asked hopefully, her eyes wide and excited. 

"Of course!" Archie barked. "Someone, come help me!" 

"Ooh! Ooh!" Sophie gasped, waving her hand enthusiastically in the air while standing up. Ghetsis gave her a disgusted look.

"The lovely lady in the back, please come forward!" 

Sophie ran over, disappearing into the kitchen with Archie. Cyrus turned to Ghetsis, who was glaring at Jackie, who was glaring back. The lightning illuminated the building, while Jackie clutched Luna closer. He definitely didn't like how Ghetsis watched her like a dog would at a tasty morsel. 

Maxie picked up his discarded newspaper off the counter and disappeared behind it, mumbling quietly. 

"Who wants tea?" Sophie asked, walking in with a tray containing a kettle full of piping-hot water and several empty glass mugs. 

"I have work to do," Cyrus said coldly, standing up. 

"Nice try!" Sophie barked, confidently striding over and thrusting a cup into Cyrus's stomach, which, on instinct, he grabbed. "We did not just brew this water just for you to leave!" 

Maxie's eyes appeared from the top of the headlines to see Cyrus's response. The Galactic leader looked into his cup, sat back down, and stared coldly as if daring anyone to approach him as Sophie hummed happily, pouring the tea into his cup Jackie and Luna were handed mugs. Luna tried hiding behind her sheet of silver hair while Sophie filled their glasses. Ghetsis scoffed as Sophie poured then pushed a glass to him, rolling his exposed eye. Maxie felt something bump his stomach, and, moving his paper aside, Sophie was offering him a mug as well, the contents already poured in for him. He mutely took it, looking at the tea with an unamused gaze. 

"I'm not doing this," he mumbled. 

"Sure, you are!" Archie boomed, emerging from the kitchen while holding a plate of freshly baked cookies. "Don't tell me you're _scared_ of a little hot water!" 

"I'm not scared!" Maxie immediately snapped back. 

"This is stupid," Ghetsis hissed, glaring at Luna and Jackie as if they said anything. 

Sophie's bottom lip quivered, downcast at how quickly everyone hated her idea. 

"Come on, guys," Archie reasoned. "What will you be doing right now, waiting in your rooms like old geezers waiting for the rain to stop? At least be stimulated for once." 

He set the plate of cookies down. Jackie, who had only a mouthful of salt with eggs since morning, skeptically took one, his hunger beating his caution. Nibbling the soft edge, he nodded.

"This isn't bad." 

"Try one, Cyrus!" Archie said, waving the desert under the Galactic leader's nose. 

"I'll stick to the tea," Cyrus said in response, turning away from the treat. Sophie looked less upset as she looked at him. 

"Drink it!" She commanded loudly. 

Cyrus took a meager sip. It seemed forever for him to say anything.

"Mediocre. A bit too sugary for my taste, but it is hot enough to refresh the body from the cold." 

"Just say you liked it." 

Cyrus looked at Sophie, who beamed. 

"Now, stick your pinky up," she ordered. "Like this." 

She thrust her pinky out as she took a noisy sip. To make Cyrus even copy her movements willingly would have been harder to convince Lysandre to hop on his bad leg. 

"This whole idea is ridiculous," Maxie mused as Sophie paraded around like a model, showing everyone how to drink tea with their pinkies up. 

__________ 

"They don't plan to storm the mansion," Cassidy said on her end. "At least not yet." 

"Good," Giovanni grumbled. "I searched his room, but I can't find the blasted Holo Caster. I need more time." 

"Uh, sir," Butch entered, his face next to Cassidy's. "You do have a plan, right? They were discussing when the raid is going to happen. The storms are the only thing that's messing them up since it's screwing up their GPS signals. They don't want to enter the forest and get lost and lose people, only to find out the mansion is not where they thought it would be. The bounty hunters are planning to just barge in, while the police plan on surrounding you all and commanding you to get out. They plan on tranquilizing you when you do." 

"So, the police have different plans than the bounty hunters," Giovanni mused, tapping his fingertips together. "That should be fun to watch." 

His Persian rested his head on Giovanni's lap, lazily flicking his tail. He was rewarded with slow strokes across his head and purred loudly to show his contentment. 

"Sir," Cassidy said. "How are you going to escape from this tight situation?" 

"There had been tighter fits," Giovanni said calmly. "And I am still here." 

"For now." 

"Calm yourself, Cassidy. I have already been planning what will happen next." 

The screen blurred with static as lightning burned the sky before resuming the clear picture of the two faces. 

"But first, I must deal with another issue at hand."

"What?" 

"I will contact you again soon." 

He ended the video contact, mulling dark thoughts as he was chewing his lip. His Persian felt the gentle petting had stopped, and quickly slipped away as Giovanni sat while deep in thought.

__________ 

Luna slipped inside Lysandre's room, who was busy clawing a hole in his bed. He had been crying from the agony, and the smell of blood lay heavy in the air. She padded to his side, where, once again, he looked at her with bloodshot eyes. 

Whether he would not speak or could not speak was unclear, but he looked at her mutely. 

She handed him a cookie, and he shook his head. Leaving it on a dresser, she gave him a cup of tea, which was in her other hand. 

He reached for it, but his arm just was too weak to move quickly, and he had to inch his arm across the side of the bed. Luna gently pressed the rim of the mug to his lips, looking at him with kind eyes.

He gratefully let the warm liquid coat his dry mouth and wet his throat, almost burning the whole way down. 

"Are you still hurt?" Luna asked softly, thunder smashing the clouds above. 

He nodded and looked down at the soaked bandages. 

"It will be alright," she soothed and hugged his face. 

It was uncomfortable, as his neck was already sore from the night prior, and he couldn't breathe as she mashed his face into her stomach. But, still, was a kind gesture, and he accepted it none the less. 

She patted his mane of hair before leaving the room without a sound. 

____ 

"Say, where's Luna?" Archie asked as he dunked his cookie into his tea. 

Jackie, who was too busy on pulling Sophie close to him whenever she wandered dangerously close to any of the leaders, didn't even notice she left. 

"What did you do to her!" Jackie gasped, his stomach knotting, 

"Relax, the kid probably went to the bathroom." 

"Tea does do that to some people," Maxie added. Ghetsis was staring into his cup, nodding. 

"Come on, Sophie," Jackie said, leaving the table. 

"But, Jackie-" Sophie began. 

"It'll be alright, lass," Archie reassured, patting her on the back. "We'll help find Luna." 

The three left the kitchen and heard the tap running down the hall where everyone was sleeping. Jackie, running ahead, saw that Luna was drawing a bath, her back to them as her hand was still on the taps. 

"Luna?" 

She turned around and waved. 

"What are you doing?" 

She looked at the water then to the group crowded in the doorway. She was mustering up the courage to speak. 

"Bath." 

"But you just got one," Archie noted. Luna shook her head. 

"Not for me." 

"Not for you?"

She nodded, her hair bobbing along her shoulders.

"Lysandre."

"You're getting one for Lysandre? He does smell..." 

She nodded again, barely smiling. 

"He gave us one. I'll give him one since he helped us." 

"Aw, you're giving him a bath since he gave you one when you were lost and needed help. That's so cute," Archie sniffed, wiping away a nonexistent tear. "Like a paradox of symbolism." 

"Yeah," Jackie said. "But it doesn't sound like it'll be easy." 

"Easy?" Luna asked, stopping the flow as the tub was majority full. 

"Well, he is a heavyset dude," Archie said on Jackie's behalf. "I'll have to help carry him and- oh, snap." He looked at Luna, who gave him a confused look. "Er, don't worry about it." 

"Why don't you come to join the tea party, Luna?" Jackie asked, looking uncomfortable. "You'll like it." 

"Why can't I help?" 

_This sweet, innocent bean_ , Archie thought, shaking his head, saying, "You already done enough. There's Nothing else you can help with, so just leave it to me. Ok, lass?" 

She nodded, unsure why everyone didn't need her anymore. Didn't they like getting help? 

Jackie led her into the kitchen, stifling a smile as he noticed Maxie was holding his cup with his pinky out. Ghetsis was eyeing the Magma leader as if he were insane, while Cyrus was holding his mug with two hands, silently staring at the contents as if they were spelling something. 

"Maxie," Archie said in a buttery voice. "I need your help, please." 

"What did you break?" Maxie asked immediately, quirking an eyebrow as he slowly set his mug down on the counter. 

"Nothing, this time. Luna here decided to help Lysandre with a bath." 

"So?" 

"I'll need your help moving him and stuff." 

Maxie grumbled as he walked over, adjusting his glasses. 

"Very well. It'll be a lot easier now if I don't argue." 

"Atta boy!" Archie cheered boisterously, patting him on the back. "The water's warm, so we better hurry." He then added under his breath for Maxie's ears only, "besides, we can get more information." 

The two men walked to Lysandre's room, where Lysandre himself was trying to get the dregs of tea from the bottom of his cup. 

"Luna drew you a bath," Archie announced. "Isn't that sweet?" 

Lysandre looked over at the two, narrowing his eyes. 

"Whatsa matter, cat got your tongue?" 

Lysandre's jaw tightened. 

"Anyway, you'll thank us in the long run, but we're here to move you." 

Maxie could hear him faintly hiss while he shook his head. 

"Don't you want to lay down on dry, clean sheets?" 

Lysandre seemed determined to stay where he was. 

"Listen, Lysandre," Maxie spoke this time. "With everything that's going on, don't you think you can at least try to cooperate? We're trying to help, and do you really want to be cowardice for moving? The _police force_ is coming, and I can't believe how you would rather be fearless to them, but act weak and powerless while moping in a bed." 

Lysandre shot him a glare. 

"Perhaps that was a bit sharp, but it's true. It'll hurt, I know, but just work with us, please." 

Lysandre sighed and propped himself up on his elbows and hoisted himself upon his palms. 

"Atta boy, Lysandre!" Archie beamed, walking over. "Now, uh, this is going to hurt. A lot." 

Doing his best to do the least amount of movement, Archie wrapped his arms around Lysandre's torso and dragged him off the bed. Maxie gently handled the injured leg, feeling the heat burning into his palms as the warm blood moistened his hands. 

It was a good thing Lysandre lost his voice. 

The two helped "walk" him down the hallway, carefully guiding him into the bathroom. Maxie closed the door with his foot as he inched along with the two.

Lysandre eyed the tub as Archie half-carried half-walked him to it.

"Here, let me take off your jacket," Archie offered, sitting Lysandre on the tub's edge. Maxie had to make sure his leg didn't move quickly. 

"Wait- wait. _Wait_ ," Maxie said, realization dawning on him. "We're going to _undress_ him?" 

"Come on, Maxie," Archie said, gently placing the jacket on a hook on the back of the bathroom door. "He ain't got nothing we haven't seen already." 

Hearing this, Lysandre gave Archie a look of pure humility and anger. 

Purposely looking away from Lysandre's face to avoid inflicting unneeded awkwardness on the former, Maxie sighed. He knew how much pride and self-image meant to the Kalosian. 

"Oh, all right," Maxie said, frowning. After what he said to Lysandre, he may as well practice what he preached. "I'll help." 

With extreme difficulty due to the wound, Maxie succeeded in taking off Lysandre's pants and stared at his ankle where a cloth was tightly wrapped around his good leg.

"That's not good," Archie said. "I think I know how you didn't faint during that entire ordeal." 

"What is that?" Archie asked, looking at the cloth on his ankle with a furrowed brow. "A scarf?" 

"Focus Band," Maxie answered. It was so tightly wound that Maxie had difficulty getting it to loosen before tugging it off. "It prevents you from passing out. It looks like Giovanni really wanted you to suffer." 

Lysandre hissed through his teeth, glaring.

"Hey, it's off of you now," Archie said reassuringly as he discarded the Focus Band onto the floor. "We're going to help you. You're not alone." 

Lysandre gave an exhausted sigh. 

________ 

Ghetsis sat at the cleaned kitchen table, thinking, as Cyrus was looking out the window. With Lysandre out, he only had five left. Giovanni was his top priority. He could simply slit his throat in the night… yes… no. His Persian. _The stupid cat would ruin it all._

He was interrupted in his thoughts as a movement caught his eye. 

"Oh, hello." 

It was as if the cat heard his thoughts. He was staring at Ghetsis with his cold red eyes, his tail swinging like a pendulum. It did not move, and Ghetsis found that to be very annoying. 

"What?" He asked, his fingers tense as he looked at the feline. It did Nothing. Ghetsis stood up to shoo it away, and the Persian hopped over to the entranceway, watching Ghetsis. The man grumbled, walking after the cat who approached the front door, staring. 

_Was someone at the front door?_

He placed his hand on the handle and listened, but heard only the wind. Maybe the stupid cat just wanted to get out.

Opening the door, Ghetsis's jaw clenched as Guzma was standing there soaked, holding a cumbersome cardboard box. 

"Yo, Ghetsis! It's ya boy, Guzma!" 

Before Ghetsis could open his mouth, Guzma walked in, his Golisopod right behind him. 

"It was tricky getting here, with the trails and all, but I got what you all needed. I take cash, credit, and a kiss on the cheek. But only from babes." 

"Guzma," Ghetsis said through clenched teeth as the adolescent stomped inside, bumping past Cyrus, who looked like the epitome of displeased. Guzma shook his head like a dog, spraying everyone with water. 

"That's my name, don't wear it out! So, who's the unlucky patient?" 

"What kind of medicine did you get?" 

"The only kind you need! Well, several of the many kinds you need. I was only told 'human' medicine, so I got painkillers, fever reducers, stomach, sore joints, laxatives, pills, you name it!" He dumped the box unceremoniously on the kitchen table, where collected rainwater pooled onto the table and seeped into the scratches. 

"Are there any for children?" 

"Pfffft naw. There are six grown adult men here, why would you need any for children?" 

"A child is sick, and she-" 

Guzma gasped loudly, and Ghetsis raised an eyebrow. Cyrus said Nothing as he watched. 

"Ghetsis, my man! You sly dog! I didn't know you did _it_ with a girl!" 

Guzma winked at Ghetsis, who looked revolted. 

"What- no! They're not _my_ children-" 

Guzma gasped again, flinging an arm around Cyrus's shoulders, who looked like he was about to commit murder the second he was touched. 

"Cyrus, my man! Who's the lucky girl?" 

"Guzma, you have this all wrong," Ghetsis growled, watching Guzma cheer on Cyrus who looked just as excited as an angered Ursaring. Ghetsis had to admit, just never out loud, it was hilarious to watch. "Cyrus didn't get married." 

Guzma gasped again. 

"Giovanni! That sly dog-" 

"Giovanni did not get another child!" 

Guzma gasped again. 

"Archie, my man! That sly dog-" 

"Guzma!" 

"Maxie, my man! That sly dog-" 

" _Guzma!"_ Ghetsis slammed his hand down on the table to get Guzma's attention. _"No one had a child!"_

"Aw, dang," Guzma frowned as he walked to the medicine. "That stuff wasn't cheap. Besides, I wanted to see who was the lucky guy. After all, ninety percent of you are all nerdy virgins-" He glanced over at Cyrus in the corner of his eye- "-and I thought it would have been kinda cool, ya know?" 

"We can use some of these for Lysandre," Cyrus said, holding up a box. "These can help him heal faster." 

"Aw, did that lion-man get hurt? Or are you lying, and he did the deed with too much gusto?" 

He gave suggestive eyebrows and grinned. Ghetsis just sighed, disgusted. 

"He pretty much lost his lower leg." 

Guzma's grin fell. 

"Oh." 

"We can fix it better, now that we have the supplies." 

"What about the children?" 

"They were washed up in a storm. One was sick, but I doubt she needs the Men's Strength for a fever. Besides, she's already getting better." 

"Well, I expect payment. I was hoping someone did get hitched so I could get a kiss on the cheek. Eh, it did cost a lot, mind you. If you don't mind..." 

He opened his palm. 

"Giovanni has the money." 

The wind howled outside, and Guzma looked through the window. 

"That's not good. I hope you don't mind me staying here. I just lugged a giant box-" 

"Why didn't you use your Golisopod to lift the box?" Cyrus asked, crossing his arms. "It's bigger, stronger, and more durable. You should not complain over something you could have easily fixed." 

Guzma snorted while Ghetsis scoffed. 

"Ya know what, cyboy? I just want a place to rest, man. Is that too much to ask for?" 

Cyrus eyed a bottle and looked at the box Guzma had dumped. He put some medical spirits, cloth, gauze, tweezers, and several other items that would have been ideal in any medical pack into a small bowl from the kitchen. 

"Woah!" Guzma gasped. "Children!" 

Sophie, Jackie, and Luna appeared from the other room, eyes wide and looking shocked at the newcomer. Luna hid behind her two siblings. 

"Wazzup, kids?" 

Sophie waved shyly while Luna tried to make herself small as possible. 

"Hi," Sophie bravely said. 

"Who are _you?"_ Jackie snapped, looking Guzma up and down. 

"Me? I'm ya boy, Guzma! I deliver stuff to these old farts!" 

Sophie giggled. 

“Bonjour, Guzma,” Sophie grinned. “Co-mow tay laflute?” 

"Heyyyyy, not bad, kid," Guzma said, nodding. "I bet ol' Pyroar-man taught you to say that." 

"Woah! Is that your Pokémon?!" She asked with awe, looking the Bug-Type up and down. It looked at her beadily. "It's so cool!" 

It clicked in response, appreciating the attention. 

"You bet it is!" Guzma grinned. "All my Pokémon are cool! Cooler than cool!" 

"Enough," Jackie snapped, tired. There were just too many people here. 

Cyrus carried the supplies he chosen and disappeared down the hall without a word. 

"Oh, I gotta see this," Guzma said, following after Cyrus. His Golisopod looked at Guzma's retreating backside then to the children. Sophie looked amazed, staring at the Pokémon. Curious, she poked its steely hide. 

"I hope we leave soon," Jackie mumbled as Sophie immediately shed her love onto the Golisopod, fawning over it excitedly. 

______________ 

"Are you just inviting _everybody_ here?" Lysandre asked, sinking to his chin and soaking his beard as Guzma entered the room after Cyrus just done so. Maxie, Guzma, and Cyrus were in the room with Lysandre. Archie left earlier to put the Kalosian's clothes in the wash. 

"Hiya, Lion-man!" Guzma greeted. "I heard about your leg!" 

"Is anyone else getting invited to invade my privacy?" 

"Just wanna see the damage done. Doesn't look too bad." 

"That's because the bandages are covering the wound, Guzma," Cyrus said, sitting on his knees while gently gripping the bandages. Lysandre's leg was propped on the edge of the tub, out of the water. Cyrus began unraveling the cloth; Guzma was leaning over with a slick grin. Lysandre remained as deep as he could in the water. 

Maxie handed Lysandre a fifth cup of water, which was turned down. After rehydrating himself and sucking on the ice, the Kalosion could speak again. Now that he drank his share, his stomach was starting to hurt. 

"I just put your clothes and sheets in the wash," Archie announced, entering the bathroom. "You'll be a new man!" 

"I wish I were; my leg is kill-OW!!!!!" 

Cyrus tore off the blood-soaked bandages, causing blood to drip onto the tiles. 

"Woah!" Guzma said. "That looks bad! Like badder than bad!" 

"Hold his leg, please," Cyrus said calmly, lifting a bottle of cleaning alcohol. It was designed to be squeezed and let the liquid shoot out at any angle. "This is going to get messy." 

He slid a towel under the wound. Archie firmly pressed his hands on Lysandre's shoulders, his grip tightening as Lysandre was getting antsy. 

"What's he got there?" 

Guzma was blocking Lysandre's view of what Cyrus was holding. 

Maxie grabbed Lysandre's left arm, as it was the only extremity he could reach. Guzma was holding his wounded leg already. 

"Why are you guys holding me down? What's going on?" 

Cyrus squeezed the bottle and alcohol shot on the wound. Guzma made a face as he thought he could hear the exposed flesh sizzle. Blood started washing off, making it look like a crime scene just happened in the bathroom as red liquid splattered on the tiles, staining them. 

“AAAUUUGGHHHHH!!!!!! _FUUUUUUU-”_

Archie shoved Lysandre underwater, who was flailing wildly, splashing water everywhere. The tub was too slick for him to get any grip, so it helped keep him contained. 

Cyrus took his time in sanitizing the wound, careful to wash it properly as bathwater would splash onto his work.

"Shouldn't we have given him the painkillers _before_ we operated on his leg?" Maxie asked, his sleeves getting soaked as Lysandre tried in vain to pull himself free. 

"The painkillers would work better afterward," Cyrus replied as Lysandre's flailing was weakening. "If we gave him them now, it would still be ineffective as they take at least half an hour to kick in. Guzma, hand me that bottle." 

Guzma, with one hand still on the damaged leg, leaned over and handed Cyrus the bottle. The Galactic leader began rubbing some sort of creamy ointment on the flesh, which was quickly hardening on contact. 

"What's that?" Maxie asked. 

"It creates a natural foundation of plasma for the muscles to build on. See the tendon there? He's lucky it wasn't severed, or this would have been painfully longer to heal." 

"How long will it take?" 

"With the new medicine, continual checkups and care, I'll say over a week." 

"That soon?" Archie asked, failing to notice that Lysandre wasn't struggling anymore. 

"I'm not a surgeon. I cannot be fully sure in the direct moment his body heals completely." 

“Give me the gauze, Guzma.” 

"Sure thing, bro." 

Cyrus eyed him coldly as he Guzma handed over the gauze. 

"It looked a lot worse when we first saw it," Maxie said. 

"The shock probably was the main factor," Cyrus responded. "When it was first shown, the blood helped deceive the damage." He wrapped the calf up tightly. "When someone's nails turn blue, it means they are suffocating," he continued, looking at Lysandre's foot where the cuticles were, indeed, turning a dark purple. 

_"Archie!"_ Maxie snapped, spinning his head to look at the pirate with wide eyes. Archie still was pressing Lysandre's head underwater, and quickly let go when he realized what he was doing. 

Lysandre emerged, coughing out water. 

"Not- everyone- can hold- their- breaths as long- as you- can, Archie," he choked, sputtering loudly as he gulped enormous mouthfuls of air. 

"Sorry!" 

"Now, he should get some rest," Cyrus said, picking up the supplies and old gauze. "Take these." 

He handed over a pill bottle, and Maxie took it, looking at the label. 

"Take two of these," he said, twisting off the child-proof cap. "They're painkillers." 

Archie handed Lysandre his water, which Lysandre only sipped as he took the pills. 

Cyrus left the bathroom, followed by Guzma. 

"I'll check up on your clothes," Archie said, following after the two. 

Maxie looked at Lysandre, who still was catching his breath. 

"Are you all right?" 

"Peachy." 

Archie returned with Lysandre's outfit, helping him back into his clothes. The three entered Lysandre's room, which the bed was nicely made. It felt terrific to be laid down in fresh, clean sheets that didn't reek of sweat or blood. The pills kicked in about twenty minutes later, and the pain had lessened significantly as Lysandre listened to the storm leave, thinking about the children. 

Yes, it did seem the best idea was to leave them here and let the police find them. It was nice, having them. He closed his eyes as he wondered what it would feel like owning children of his own. 

___________ 

“Pinky _out!”_

“Like this, sis?” Guzma snickered as he jutted his pinky out while holding the mug. 

“Better,” Sophie said, calming down. “Cookie?” 

“I’ll take two.” 

“Two?” 

“Yeah, for my Golisopod.” 

Sophie handed Guzma the plate of cookies, which he took two and promptly threw one to his Pokémon. The Golisopod caught the treat with its claws and brought it to its mouth where it hungrily ate, dropping crumbs. 

“It’s so cool!” Sophie gushed. “I want a Pokémon, but Mom says I’m too young. I wanna see everyone’s, too.” 

“How old are ya, kid?” Guzma asked as he leaned back in his chair, biting into the cookie. 

“Six!” 

“Eh, you seem confident in yourself. I think you’ll be fine to own one.” 

“I hope it’s one like yours!”   
“Yes, Golisopod _is_ pretty cool. Remember, What's-Your-Face, if you want a Pokémon, Bug-Types are the superior and don’t let anyone lie to you that they aren’t.” 

“Bug?” 

“Heck ya, sister!” 

Sophie giggled, taking a cookie off the plate and walking over the Golisopod, who was watching her approach with a cookie held like a lantern. She was tiny compared to it and held the cookie far above her head to even get remotely close to where she assumed the mouth was. It took the cookie from her, and Sophie was absolutely delighted. 

Guzma chuckled, watching her squeal in delight while giving his Pokémon the rest of the cookies, watching it eat one with utter fascination. 

“Bug-Types look so cool!” 

“Look? They are!” 

Jackie was eyeing the Golisopod from the kitchen, frowning. He needed to tell Mama about the new guy. Fortunately, it was in the afternoon, and Jackie would make his phone call in a couple of hours. 

“Who are you?” Jackie asked, eyeing the Pokémon as if it would suddenly run and attack him. 

“Guzma. I said my name like, three times already, kid.” 

“Guzma?” Jackie asked coyly. “Are you Giovanni’s friend?” 

“Friend? Naw, bro, more like...” Guzma frowned before snapping his fingers. “Buddies. Like that dude in class you never talk to unless you need to borrow a pencil.” 

“Are you, you know-” Jackie hissed, lowering his voice while eyeing Sophie who was currently trying to measure herself to Guzma’s Pokémon. “In the team?” 

“The team? Naw, bro, Team Skull is my pride and joy, and ain’t no one like Giovanni is gunna change it.” 

Jackie sighed with relief. 

“Do you think you can help us?” 

“Help? With what, kid?” 

“It’s Jackie. And they want to leave us in the mansion alone for the police to find us.” 

“So?” 

Jackie bit his tongue. Why was he telling this stranger what he knew? It should be the other way around. 

“Well,” Jackie stuttered, redirecting his sentence. “I want you to tell me everything about everyone.” 

“That’s all?” 

“Yes, _that’s all.”_

Guzma flopped himself on the couch, putting his hands behind his head and shaking his foot as he gave a grin. 

“Giovanni is dangerous, Ghetsis is downright insane, Lysandre is deceiving, Archie is powerful, Maxie is weird, and Cyrus is creepy.” 

Jackie blinked in disbelief, huffing. 

“More than that.” 

“More? What more do you need to know?” 

“More than whatever you rambled!” 

“Heh, cute, kid.” 

Jackie flushed, folding his arms. He was not going to let this weirdo completely walk over him.

 _“Jackie!”_

“Let’s see...” Guzma sighed deeply. “Giovanni is the mastermind and is dangerous. Why he let you kids in here is beyond me.” 

“Lysandre let us in.” 

“Lysandre? I always had a hunch he cared way deep down. I’ll be wary of him, kid.” Jackie almost shouted his name heatedly, but what Guzma said caused Jackie’s innards to freeze. “He acts all nice, but there’s a dark side in him. There's a dark side to everyone here. Maybe he let you in just out of kindness, but don’t get too attached.” 

“What do you mean?”

"It's not that hard to figure out, kid."

"It's Jackie!"

"All right, Jackie, just think about it. These dudes are in Rainbow Rocket for a reason. They did whatever they could to succeed in power, that includes killing innocent people."

"Will they hurt us, though?"

Despite what Archie said about having nothing to gain for harming the children, Jackie still felt massively unsure.

“Don’t ask me," Guzma said cooly before licking his lips and watching his Golisopod. "Anyway, Maxie is a massive nerd. He’s pretty, well, nerdy, but he can get extremely deadly if you trigger something inside him.” 

“Trigger?” 

“Maxie’s pretty tame, but he can get as bat-crap crazy as the rest in Rainbow Rocket. Hence, the dark side I just talked about.” 

“Archie’s the same,” Guzma continued. “He’s very energetic, but he can turn that into rage and power. You can’t fight him, kid-” 

“Jackie!” 

“He’s just as dangerous as a Sharpedo. Even bites like one. Ever been bitten by Archie?” 

“What kind of a question is that??” 

"Just curious."

"What about Cyrus? Is he trustworthy?"

Out of all of them, Jackie didn't really focus on Cyrus as much as he knew he should have.

Guzma only shrugged.

"Not really sure. One thing's for sure, you’re lucky no one hates you, kid. You’d be killed if they hated you.” 

“Ghetsis does. He keeps glaring at us.” 

“Ghetsis is the insane one. He can become a monster in seconds. I think that’s how he escaped prison, now that I think about it...” 

Jackie shuddered, refusing to imagine Ghetsis ripping human bodies apart as one would do with a newspaper, but his mind was bent on giving him a picture. 

“Can you help us leave?” 

“Help you? Sorry, kid, I got my own plans.” 

“Plans to do what? Look stupid?” 

Jackie didn’t know what made him say it, but he heard himself say it before the words registered in his head. 

“Ha! You got guts. I like that.” 

“So, can you help?” Jackie asked eagerly, his chest filling with hope that deflated as soon as it came.

“Sorry. Can’t.” 

“Why not!” 

“I’ll just add more confusion to this whole ordeal. You won’t understand now, but the only way I can keep you safe is by staying away.” 

“That makes no sense.” 

"Did I not just say you wouldn't understand?" Guzma flicked a crumb off his shirt. “I like you kid, but I’ll just make things worse for you. Just stay clear from Giovanni and especially Ghetsis.” He got off the couch and started walking down the hallway. Jackie noticed how much he slouched and straightened his own back as he hurried to Guzma's side. “I think Lysandre is your best bet for safety if I had to choose.” 

“What about Archie? He’s friendly.” 

“Friendly? That pirate just is too energetic. He and Maxie are good, but they, well...” Guzma slowed, his Golisopod stopping behind them. “They aren’t, well- fatherly, I guess.” 

_“Fatherly?”_ Jackie asked, disgusted. "No one here is going to be my father!"

“Best way I could put it,” Guzma said nonchalantly, shrugging. “Just stay with Lysandre. He’ll be your best hope.” He stopped, hands in his pockets and slouched. "Caring. That's the word I was thinking of. Not 'fatherly.' Caring."

“Can’t we leave with you now?” 

They were at the front door, and Jackie was getting desperate. 

“Bad idea,” Maxie said, appearing from behind them as he poked his head from the corner of the doorway. “If you emerged from the forest with Guzma, there will be a lot of unnecessary questions that would ultimately lead to us.” 

“That could work, though,” Archie said, standing behind Maxie. “No one knows where he is. Guzma could say he just found them.” 

Jackie felt slightly guilty as he thought of the phone call. His mother knew he was with Rainbow Rocket, and if he just appeared from the forest with Guzma, there would be inquiries for sure. 

“Three children, who look healthy and well-fed after two days lost in the forest?” 

“Look, guys,” Guzma said, holding his hands up. “I gotta get out of here. Keep those kids safe.” 

He clicked his teeth as he left the front door, his Golisopod following. 

Jackie felt like the only help that came left as soon as it came, staring at Guzma’s slouched backside that was silhouetted against the blood-orange sunset; Sophie was staring at the Golisopod, determined to have her first Pokémon be a Bug-Type. Just like Guzma’s. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo9GFQogzx4 I was laughing at the bathroom scene because this is what I could think of the entire time. It'll never not be funny.
> 
> I hope I got Guzma's personality right. It was so fun.  
> And I might re-update after I sleep.


	6. Predator and Prey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guzma accidentally causes Rainbow Rocket's stay to cut short and messes up Giovanni's plans. Giovanni's plan accidentally gets the wrong person killed. There's a lot of accidents here. And sacrifices.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually enjoyed Guzma's role so much, I'm adding him in more chapters. Also, the actual location of the mansion is unknown. Team Rainbow Rocket isn't in Aether Paradise, but somewhere. Just... somewhere.  
> Also, the highly trained police can't find a giant mansion until now because plot.  
> Also also, this chapter contains mild swearing, but I think you all can handle it. Screw Chief's no cussing rule. I also finally found a name for Chief.

Guzma was exiting the forest, slouched, and hands jammed in his pockets while he wore his slick grin as he could see several patrol cars lining the edge of the forest, flashing the trees in red and blue hues in an endless pattern. 

"Well, well," Guzma chuckled as he continued his walk, his shoes soaked from the wet grass. "Golisopod, lookie what we got here." 

"You there!" A rather sturdy looking woman called out, shining a flashlight at the adolescence and his Pokémon, who slowed down from their trek but did not stop. "Stop right there!" 

Guzma shielded the beam of light from his eyes, squinting against the nasty glow. 

"What's up?" 

He was immediately swarmed by police officers and their Pokémon, who were giving Golisopod the stink eye. 

"Where did you come from!" 

Guzma looked behind him, indicating the giant forest, then smirked with a look of amusement. "Seriously?" 

"Don't play, boy!" A thin man barked, his Alolan Meowth matching his glare. "Why were you in the forest!" 

"Because I walked in it," Guzma said, folding his arms as he raised an eyebrow. "Why, is it illegal to walk with your Pokémon now?" 

"We are on a search for Team Rainbow Rocket, and--" 

"Rainbow Rocket?" Guzma asked suddenly, eyebrows raised. "I know them!" 

The officers exchanged quick glances, keeping their flashlights trained on him. 

"What allegiance are you with them?" 

"Well, I'm not in their group, if that's what you're asking," the adolescent said coolly while he shrugged. "But, I do know that y'all are in the wrong forest." 

"Wrong forest?" 

"Did I stutter?" 

The female snorted and stepped forward, glaring, but was stopped when the thin man put his arm in front of her chest. She shot him a glare, but he was just shaking his head. 

"Look, police gang," Guzma sighed. "Giovanni isn't hiding in the forest. For six men to hide in a very accessible forest and even more noticeable mansion for a hideout would be the stupidest plan to ever exist." 

"Why should we listen to you?" 

"You tell me." 

"Chief, we need to book him." 

A heavyset man in a legitimate police chief uniform rubbed his chin. 

"He is definitely a suspect; we need to bring him in for questioning." 

"Uh, _he_ can hear you, you know!" Guzma snorted, crossing his arms as he looked at all the people in uniforms and their Pokémon. 

"Then come with us," the chief said. Guzma could tell this man was close to retirement. 

"A'ight, I'll comply." Guzma shrugged while nodding, meandering to the group of blue uniforms. "Just know that you're wasting time doing this." 

"What we do is none of your business," the female hissed darkly. "We need answers, and you appear from the forest which we been patrolling for days? Coincidence? I think not!" 

"Easy, Josephine," the chief snapped. "You're coming with us, son." 

_You owe me big time, Giovanni._

Guzma smirked as he did what he was told, recalling Golisopod before climbing into the back of a cop car, flanked by two officers. He had nothing to say, only answering the questions but never expounding on them whenever asked. 

"Guzma, how long were you in the forest?" 

"I dunno, a couple of hours, I guess." 

When he left the mansion, it was around six, and looking at the time now, it was around nine. He watched the lights blur past, the stars dimming behind street lights, and the skies filling with buildings the closer the police cars glided further into the city. Guzma pressed his cheek into his palm, listening to the hum of the engine and wondering what he should charge Giovanni for since he was giving the mafia leader an insane favor. After all, Giovanni still didn't pay him for buying all the medicine. 

* * * * * 

Guzma was cuffed to a metal table in an empty room, which had a cold chill to it, which the metal interior was contributing to the cold air. There was a single square of light inside the ceiling, which made the room unnaturally bright. Josephine was against the wall, watching Chief Harlow and Hunter interrogate Guzma with extremely stern attitudes. 

"Tell us everything you know!" Hunter barked in Guzma's face, his sunglasses blocking his eyes and reflecting the youth's unfazed smirk. 

"Team Rainbow Rocket isn't in the forest," Guzma said coolly, ignoring the flecks of spit that landed on his face. 

"Where are they!" 

Guzma shrugged, looking at the man with a ponytail then to the chief. 

"I keep up with them every now and then, but I don't know where they are specifically." 

"Then how do you know they weren't in the forest?" Harlow asked, rubbing his chin. 

"Because that would be a perfect set up for an ambush," Guzma explained. "Would a powerful mafia leader and all his cronies be in a giant-ass building surrounded by an ever bigger-ass forest filled with trees that would be ideal for concealing bounty hunters and police? I mean, Giovanni isn't _that_ stupid. If I could guess, he's in Aether Paradise." 

"Aether Paradise?" Hunter snapped, slamming his hands down onto the desk. Guzma didn't flinch. "Don't lie to me!" 

"Hunter," Josephine said, brow furrowing as she peeled herself from the wall. "That makes a lot of sense." 

"Think about it," Guzma egged the bounty hunter, who immediately stared at Guzma when he spoke. "Surrounded by water, and I think all of them have Pokémon who can swim. They can escape in any direction and have full advantage of seeing if anyone will approach. You're, like, _the_ official police squad, right? You should know the advantages of hiding out in a well-guarded building with an extreme level of pros." 

"What about the children?" Josephine snarled, staring at Guzma coldly, before turning to Harlow with a softer, but still cold, expression. "We need to keep their safety into consideration." 

"Oh, I heard the kids are alive. I think Giovanni plans to traffic them, though." 

Hunter narrowed his eyes, then slugged Guzma's cheek, making the adolescence's head snap. 

"Tell the truth!" 

"I _am_ telling the truth, man!" 

"I can tell you're lying!" 

Guzma inhaled through his nose, stared Hunter dead in the eye, and exhaled. 

"Giovanni _might_ be Aether Paradise. Is he really there? I don't know, but that's what he told me the last we spoke. He explained there was an island far away and not very populated." 

Guzma glared back at Hunter, contemplating if what Guzma was saying made sense. 

"A moment, Chief," Hunter snapped, retreating out of the room, the chief following along. Hunter cast Josephine a quick side glance, mumbling, "make sure this prick stays here." 

He left the room with Harlow, entering another vacant room for privacy. 

"Chief Harlow," Hunter spoke in a tone so low that it came out in a continuous low rumble. "Do you think we should take what this punk says seriously?" 

"We take everything everyone says seriously." "The creep could be paid to misguide us." 

"Us? I don't think you ever counted yourself in my team, Hunter." 

"I may not follow your guidelines, Chief, but I do believe that opposites do join together when fighting a common enemy." 

"We can double the space to search for the children," Chief Harlow said as if this was the original conversation they were having. "My team can target Aether Paradise while you continue to comb the forest." 

"We already nit-picked the stupid forest with a lice comb, but there just is no mansion!" 

Hunter's voice was louder as he squared his shoulders and tossed his head angrily, making his ponytail lash the air. Chief Harlow coughed into his hand and sighed. 

"Then I'll search off the map after Aether Paradise-" 

"No!" Hunter shouted, raising a hand. He lowered it slowly while making it into a fist, staring at it as if his hand would explain the missing children's location. "I'll search in the forest's heart." 

"The heart's not the only thing you need to survive, Hunter," Harlow said, raising an eyebrow and rubbing his chin and frowning deeply. 

"What do you mean?" 

"You know how easy it is to hide in plain sight. Maybe the mansion hasn't been found because we been searching too hard." 

"Searching too hard," Hunter echoed in a disbelieving tone, his shoulders dropping, making his arms dangle limply as he stared at the chief. "For a _mansion."_

"Hunter," Harlow sighed, placing a large hand on the younger one's shoulder. "If you prefer my team to search in the forest and you take Aether Paradise, we can change." 

"The forest—" Hunter gasped, eyes widening as he raised his glasses to reveal his eyes; one was green while the other was an arguably either a dark brown or black. "Chief, we've been searching the wrong portion of the forest!" 

"Wrong portion? We searched in every forest of every city." 

"First, we need to give our locations actual names and not 'forest,'" Hunter growled, vigor filling his voice as squeezed his sunglasses, staring into the distance. "Secondly, the mansion won't be on the maps we been using." Hunter paced, tapping his sunglasses on his bottom lip, waving them around like a baton. "Leave the forest to me, Harlow." 

"Very well," Harlow complied, watching hunter stop and blink several times before slipping on his sunglasses again. He wondered if Hunter's multicolored eyes had to do anything with his slight sensitivity to light. "I'll round up my troops. If we attack at the same time, the team won't have anywhere to run." 

"Good. Now we have to move fast and swiftly. _You_ may want those men alive, but _I_ will do whatever I need to safely get those children back." 

"I understand, Hunter. We will attack immediately." 

The two stared at each other, two alphas of their own groups agreeing through their broken eye line, as Hunter's sunglasses hid his heterochromia, but the chief knew he was locking eyes with the younger man. 

They were going to save those children, Harlow thought as Hunter turned his back on the chief and left the room. Whatever it takes, they will get those children back. 

______________ 

Jackie slid off the bed and slunk down the hallway, noticing the kitchen light was on the closer he got. Ducking behind the doorway, he peeked around the corner and saw Cyrus and Ghetsis standing in the farthest end of the kitchen, watching Lysandre leaning heavily against the wall. 

"Don't push off with the leg," Cyrus said, his hands at his side. "Just walk naturally." 

"It feels weird," Lysandre said, hesitantly walking a step before stopping, leaning on the wall again. "Like my entire leg is missing." 

"You have to walk, Lysandre," Ghetsis said impatiently, looking the latter up and down with a flick of his eye. "We can't wait. We must get your body to be able to walk immediately." 

"I'm trying," Lysandre growled, digging his fingertips into the wall. 

"Try harder!" 

Lysandre took another step, and Jackie could see the bandages tightly wrapped around his calf twitch from the muscles moving underneath. 

Lysandre stumbled, his leg crumpled under his body and grabbed the telephone on instinct to stop his fall. Jackie ran from the doorway as a loud crash came from the kitchen, afraid the noise would attract attention. He ran all the way back to the master guest bedroom, diving under the blankets as he trembled with anxiety, expecting someone to come into the room to interrogate him about the noise. 

Jackie already could envision himself sitting on the edge of the bed while explaining to Giovanni about the phone call the other night, while his sisters were cornered by the other Rainbow Rocket members. It took him a while to relax, and he glanced at the clock that read it was half-past eleven. Yawning loudly, the boy waited until twelve to check on the kitchen to make his call, but he could see the lights were still on when he checked and were still on at twelve-thirty. Jackie stared at the clock, waiting until one in the morning... 

_________ 

_" Lysandre!"_

The Kalosian found himself surrounded by rapid water, the sun in the sky, bathing him in the light as trees lined the edge of the river. Lysandre saw the sunshine through the leaves that shook in the wind. 

He was only there for a second, but he knew exactly where it was as he jolted awake in a mess of sheets, making his leg flare up in pain as he slipped off the bed and onto the floor noisily. He rose to his feet, swaying dangerously. 

"Cyrus?" The pain tightened with each step, causing him to hop into the hallway. He forgot he left the pain medications with Cyrus in the kitchen. "Cyrus?" 

Lysandre got the feeling he was watched and turned to see a man who looked oddly familiar was standing at the end of the empty hallway. His mostly transparent hair was a thin silver that was tied into a ponytail; he looked thin and rather worried. 

Confusion trickled into Lysandre's mind as he tried to remember who the man was, but he quickly deducted that he never saw the man before, but the man only had similar facial futures of someone he knew. Then it hit him as the image in his dream flashed into his mind. 

"The river," Lysandre whispered, horrified as he felt his gut feeling hardened, confirming his suspicions. "Luna!" 

He ran through the hall towards the man, who did not move. Instead, he vanished like mist the closer Lysandre got, giving the Kalosian a massive chill and a sense of foreboding. That didn't stop Lysandre, who smashed through the back door and into the brisk morning air. The morning sky was still filled with stars, and his breath came out in mists. Lysandre knew of the river; Archie had been telling Lysandre about it when he was helping the Kalosian dress, and even Maxie talked about it, but with less enthusiasm. 

The trail was there, but Lysandre found it hard to navigate as the storm from earlier had washed leaves and twigs and even massive branches onto the path. Fortunately, the pathway wasn't as long as Lysandre anticipated, and the roar of the river could be heard halfway through the run. He managed to slog through the trail, his ankles quickly became coated in mud. 

Was this what Jackie thought when he was lost in the storm? Fearful of the unknown, while trying to protect his sister's lives? He knew he was putting himself at risk, but was not going to stop until they found safety. He paused, sliding on the muddied bank as he stared at the "calm, slow river" that Archie described. But it was now taken over in Lysandre's words this time, "a horrible torrent of raging water." 

Lysandre stood as close as he dared on the slippery edge, feeling the spray dampen his one pant leg and bandages, quickly soaking them and weighing down his legs. He scanned the frothing waters, wondering with a sick feeling if Luna was, somehow, still alive. The poor little girl would have been swept away at the power of the river, and Lysandre forced himself not to visualize her drowning and the terror involved. The cold darkness that engulfed her body while she breathed her last in isolation; the image made a chill crawl down Lysandre's spine and pinch each vertebra painfully, making him shudder and hiss through his teeth. No time to focus on himself, though, as his leg started to disagree with the terrain and tighten as if the injured muscles knew what Lysandre's half-thought-out plan was. 

Lysandre hurried along the edge, slipping several times as he stumbled through the mud and brush, ripping his feet free from sinkholes on multiple occasions as he stared at the river in the vain hope he would spot Luna, somehow, swimming on the surface. The longer he ran, the sharper the pain grew in his leg as if it was begging him to stop. Each step made caused the river to taunt him louder and louder until it outmatched the volume of his thundering heartbeat in his ears, the water screaming in his ear. Lysandre was started to get discouraged as he stepped on a slimy root and lost his footing, falling hard into the mud on his rump, staring at nothing in particular as he panted. Feeling the reality of Luna's fate tighten around him like a steel fist, crushing the air out of his lungs and making his heart smash his ribs. 

It was too late for her, Lysandre realized as he stared at the might of the river that crushed everything in its path. She was lost forever. 

Pulling himself up, he looked at a significant tree branch float past before disappearing into the horizon. But it didn't go entirely out of his sight but stayed as a black speck; the branch had caught on something far down the river. Squinting, Lysandre could see it was a large rock that stuck out of the water. His heart rose. Could it be possible Luna was able to grab onto the stone platform? Was she safe? 

Making his body hurry again, he slogged through the bank and stopped when he was parallel to the rock, seeing Luna trying to flag him down, crying with joy. His jaw dropped, as he was utterly shocked that a tiny, five-year-old managed to beat all odds of drowning, shock, hypothermia, exhaustion, and, ultimately, death. 

"It's not possible," Lysandre exhaled, staring at the tiny girl whose foundation was shrinking by the minute. She looked utterly exhausted, collapsing after jumping down several times. Squinting, he could see her crying, shaking with sobs as she wore a sloppy grin. The look of complete joy in a moment of hopelessness. "It's... not possible." 

"Miracles are possible, Lysandre." 

Lysandre jumped alert, looking around as he was broken from his brief moment of mild shock. He mentally slapped himself as there was no one with him who spoke. He can't waste any more time! 

Luna needed him, and that's all that matters! 

The current would have swept the Kalosian away when he took a step, so, Lysandre had to retrace his actions for a good while before stopping, hoping Luna knew what he was doing and didn't think he was abandoning her. 

The best way, he figured, would have the current bring him to the rock, while he swam to the middle to grab onto it. He would have to swim fast, and Lysandre took off his jacket, cravat, vest, undershirt, and shoes to lighten his load, knowing full well the moment his clothes got soaked they would add several pounds of extra weight. 

Lysandre could feel the dread his leg was bracing for, and he could imagine it whimpering in fear. 

_Why_ didn't he bring Archie with him? 

He forced his body to move, feeding into the adrenaline as he sprinted across the bank and launched himself into the air right as he reached the edge. Being airborne felt like slow motion, he could feel the flecks of water buffet his feet as he stared at the millions of gallons of pain and danger rush below him. The sun broke from between the treetops and bathed him in sunlight as he reached the peak of the jump, feeling time itself slow down until it froze as he closed his eyes, bracing for the fall. 

__________ 

"Who broke the phone?" Giovanni asked as he pointed at a small hole in the wall and a mess of a broken phone that was on the floor dusted with plaster. Jackie, who saw exactly how it happened, shrugged along with Sophie, who was more focused on her porridge at the moment. Maxie grunted something inaudible behind his newspaper that was wet around the edges ("Aether Paradise, New Target?") before flipping another page. 

"No idea," Archie said as he leaned against the counter, spooning a bowl of his own breakfast. 

"Lysandre did," Ghetsis spoke as he glared at everyone as if they personally insulted him. "Cyrus and I were helping him walk." 

"It's best to exercise the muscles," Cyrus said neutrally. "His leg gave away, and he fell, grabbed the phone to catch himself, and broke it." 

"Very well," Giovanni mumbled. 

"Where's Luna?" Jackie asked uneasily as he looked around the room. 

"With Lysandre, I think," Archie said through a mouthful of porridge. "He told me he wanted to take Luna on a walk." 

"Now? It's so wet out," Maxie said as he straightened the paper out with a smart snap of his wrists. 

"You have a thing against water?" 

"As a matter of fact, I do." 

"Gentlemen," Giovanni snapped. "I'll be in my office." 

He left the room, and Jackie looked at Sophie. 

"Do you think Mama's worried?" He asked her in an undertone, watching her halfheartedly play with her spoon. 

"I been thinking about her a lot," Sophie said as she pushed her empty dish away from her, placing her spoon in it with a clink. "I think we can find her on our own." 

"You mean, we run away?" 

Sophie nodded as she looked at Jackie with big, brown eyes that reflected her concern. 

"I don't know, Sophie, it seems super scary." 

Jackie noticed Cyrus was eyeing them and quickly started on his own breakfast, although Jackie's appetite had vanished the moment he saw the phone would no longer be working. Now how would he call Mama tonight? 

An idea struck him. He could steal someone's Pokéballs, catch a few Pokémon, and the three would be safe. It sounded logical, anyway. 

He looked at Archie's person but didn't know where a suit would hold some Pokéballs. The pockets looked flat and empty. Maxie might have held some Pokéballs in his jacket pockets, but Ghetsis's robes held some promise as they could be hiding dozens of the capsule systems. But the one question that struck Jackie the hardest was how he would steal them? 

Jackie sighed into his bowl of mush that somehow turned tasteless the more he chewed. He saw Giovanni had no interest in fixing the phone, and a fiery pit formed in his stomach. Even though Jackie saw Lysandre break the phone unintentionally, Jackie hoped that Giovanni would fix it. _Now_ , how was he going to contact Mama? 

"Can we see your Pokémon?" Sophie asked, turning to Archie. 

"Sorry," Archie shrugged. "They're beaten." 

"A nap can fix them." 

"No-- I mean they're _beat_. They need a PokéCenter." 

"Will Guzma come back?" Sophie asked with a hopeful note in her voice. "His Pokémon was so cool!" 

"Not for a while," Maxie grumbled behind his paper. Jackie was still unsure how Maxie got the news, but no matter how many times he asked, he was only answered with a loud exhale through the nose and a page flip. 

"When will you guys leave?" Jackie asked this time, looking at the five adults that lined the kitchen. As much as the boy hated to admit it, he wasn't as tense or hostile anymore as much as he knew he should have been. Just extremely exhausted and wary. 

"Hopefully, Ghetsis snarled, eyeing the children with disgust. "Soon." 

Jackie snuck away from the kitchen, glaring at his feet as if they would somehow tell him the answer. He stopped, staring at his muddied sneakers as an idea flooded his mind. His feet _could_ take him home. Nothing was stopping him; Luna was better, the storms were clearing up, and the police were on the lookout for them. All they needed to do was avoid the tall grass. How hard could that possibly be? 

Maybe he should call Mama one more time, just so she knew her children would be wild. There had to be one more phone in a _gigantic_ building like this! He blindly wandered through doors, slowing when he heard Giovanni's voice coming behind a closed one. He tried to listen in by standing in the hallway, but any actual words had evaporated before they reached Jackie's ears. Only by pressing his ear against the door, Jackie could hear Giovanni talking about a raid. Whatever that was, Jackie lost interest in the conversation as Giovanni seemed to ramble on about bounty hunters and snipers and mansion raids. He tried to make sense of the conversation as muffled as it was. 

There would be a raid at the mansion long after the adults have left. The police would find them, but that was good, right? But much longer would it be when they were discovered? Jackie was extremely limited in his knowledge of cooking. How long would it take before they starved? Approximately one day. His hopelessness quickly vanished when he realized he would just use Giovanni's phone when he was done with it. 

He smiled to himself and slunk back into the kitchen, silently promising himself that he would get his sisters out and back home. Sophie was busy making a house of cards in the living room while Archie was patiently handing her each one, cheek in hand as he stared blankly with a bored haze in his eyes. Cyrus was set on making a machine, a rather small one, but whatever it was, he didn't let anything steal his attention. Maxie had resumed reading but replaced his newspaper with a magazine special on some sort of crater found in the ocean. Ghetsis had been staring at Sophie coldly as if she was the reason death existed in the world. 

"Why isn't anyone doing anything?" Jackie asked as he rubbed his eyes. 

"What's there to do?" Archie said dully. "We are waiting on Giovanni's orders. Right now, he's planning the next move. All we can do is wait." 

He handed a pair of cards to Sophie, who was too hasty on stacking her card houses, and they toppled down with a gentle flitter. The two scooped the cards up and restarted their home. Jackie checked the time and noticed how much the morning passed by. When did Lysandre leave with Luna? 

Jackie walked to the couch and sat down in silence to think for a while. 

________ 

"It has been decided," the chief declared as he pointed to a map on a large table where a larger team of police officers and bounty hunters surrounded it like ants to a drop of syrup. "We will have our defenses split. We will take Aether Paradise, while Hunter and his bounty hunters will take the forest. We will surround the island, Team A will enter on land, while Team B stays in the sky to keep constant surveillance on the island. We'll keep in contact with the radio. 

"The safety of the children is the top priority of our mission. We need to be ready for anything that happens. If any of them threaten the lives of the children, incapacitate them. We need to do anything to get those children back. Snipers, you need to be ready to take those men down. Kill every last one if you need to, but let's hope it doesn't come to that. If we get all six alive would be a miracle, hell, if this whole thing plays out without a drop of blood, will be an act of Arceus himself." 

For once, Josephine didn't say anything about gender assumptions and studied the map that was on the table. 

There was not much talking after hearing the chief's plan, as everyone was getting ready, which took a remarkably short amount of time. 

Loaded, armored, and ready for virtually any attack, the selected cops chosen for the raid hurried into the cars while the chief and Josephine ran into the leading one. Like a tamed stampede, police cars streaked down the roads before stopping as close as they could at the edge of the island. 

"Pokémon, out!" Chief Harlow barked. In unison, each pair or group of officers summoned either Pokémon that could Fly or swim, which caused several Gyrados to bump into each other. The edge of the island became lined with Talonflames, Crowbats, and one or two Salamences; a man had a Noivern, and there were a few Charizards to spare. A lady mounted her Fearow and nodded to her brother, who had a Honchkrow. Garchomp was the most chosen Pokémon of them all, as they crowded with the others. Every Pokémon swayed in anticipation as cops of all sizes mounted them, waiting for Chief Harlow's instructions. 

There were numerous splashing as Pokémon were summoned into the water; as Garchomp was the most selected for flying, the swimmers had favored Sharpedo, who flooded the seas as if there was an injured Wailmer. One cop had an Empoleon, and there were a few Lapras and Whiscash here and there. A Poliwrath seemed to be having beef with a Kingdra, who quickly stopped their aggressive looks at Chief Harlow's whistle. 

"Everyone mounted?" He boomed across the group, where he was on a Staraptor, Josephine, on a Staravia next to him. "Go!" 

With a rush of wings, splash of water, and a haze of dust kicked into the air, Pokémon launched off the ledge and began their mission. Sharpedos were slicing through the water as if they were racing to see which shark would reach the island first, the rest of the group in their tow. 

With the wind whistling in Chiefs Harlow's ear came another sound: the beep in the earpiece announcing someone from headquarters was calling with usually bad news. He pressed the piece and answered "yes?" as he stared at the blinding horizon. 

"Chief," a voice buzzed from the other side. "Guzma escaped!" 

"Guzma escaped?" Harlow echoed as his Staravia seemed to hit some warm air pockets the further they traveled into the sea, and, looking around, others were experiencing the same thing as their Pokémon bobbed harmlessly through the air. While turbulence wasn't dangerous most of the time, it was annoying as the drag cut away precious milliseconds of their time. 

"Ozwell," Harlow grumbled. First Ghetsis, then Guzma. While Ghetsis was put in prison and it wasn't the chief's responsibility to watch the criminal as the prison had specific guards trained at their own levels to keep the place secure, there were police officers from Chief Harlow's headquarters who patrolled the outside of the building. Either way, it was humiliating enough to have the news flood the media about the escaped criminal and the "incompetent guards" who allowed Ghetsis to do so, followed by the many questions he had to answer along with the warden of the prison, who took the blow of hate much harder than Harlow did, stoically absorbing everything that was thrown at him from the media and public. The warden and other officials talked with Harlow about Ghetsis, and they all agreed to double the security and reward. But when after all the dust settled, everyone was simply too scared to confront a psychopath. 

Then Hunter came with his cronies of bounty hunters, willing to risk life and limb for such a delicious reward. While Harlow strongly disagreed with Hunter's ideals to chase and catch a person, he had to admit that the backup was tremendously helpful and relieving as the two teams could cover far more land. 

The taste of blood brought him back to the present, as Harlow was chewing the inside of his cheek while reliving a moment in the past. While Guzma was, this time, in the police officer's hands, it was embarrassing to know such an angsty looking teen could have weaved through security and freedom. Just _why_ did everyone suck at keeping people contained? He remembered Ozwell was on the other side, waiting for orders. 

"Ozwell?" 

"Yes, sir?" 

"Go fire somebody." 

______________ 

He had no idea how he did it. His brain seemed to be moving too slow while everything around him was going too fast, and he honestly couldn't recall much aside from struggling to survive. 

As he lay, splayed out and exhausted, everything inside and out was freezing, and he thought his very soul was trying to crumple itself up to preserve what precious little body heat he had left. Even his bare feet threatened to turn blue as he lay, in shock, staring at the sun hiding behind the leaves, making them glow. He didn't care that his hair was completely messed up, or how many bruises and scratches he obtained from battling branches and debris that threatened to take him underwater forever or nearly died more than once. 

None of that mattered. The only thing Lysandre did focus on was his determination to reach Luna, and get her out of the water. 

The spray was like rain as Lysandre slowly sat up, immediately hugged by a sobbing Luna, who wrapped her arms like a vice around his torso and refused to even loosen her grip. 

"Luna?" 

"I-I-I was s-s scared!" Luna sobbed, shivering like a leaf as she scrambled onto Lysandre's lap. Her stone platform was already inches underwater, causing the current to break against Lysandre's backside and create wakes in the water as it rushed past the two. It already was crashing against his spine like beach waves against a cliffside before he stood up and scooped up the frail Luna to his chest, feeling her release her grip to wrap her arms around his neck. Lysandre felt his breath hitch as he planted his feet on the submerged rock, hearing Luna sob hysterically into his neck as the water reached his ankles. 

"Hold tight to me," Lysandre whispered into her ear. 

"I'm scared," Luna whimpered, burying her face into Lysandre's neck, her wet hair sticking to her body. 

He stared at the torrent and took a breath. 

"Me too." 

Together, they plunged into the water. Luna clung to Lysandre so tightly it was hard not to think she was glued to his chest. He took powerful strokes, swimming diagonally with the current, inching himself closer to land. Luna dug her fingernails into his skin, feeling his muscles move under her hands. She didn't have much time to focus on what Lysandre was doing, but instead was trying to avoid accidentally choking on any water. 

Something big struck Lysandre's leg, and he could feel the ridges of bark scratch his legs. Kicking frantically, he raised Luna above his head while he went under, freeing his legs from a gnarled branch. He resurfaced, sputtering noisily as Luna started to cry, grabbing his arms and refusing to let go. 

"Speak to me, Luna," Lysandre gasped, blinking past his sticky lashes, trying to find anything to focus on that wasn't millions of gallons of water surging past them. He needed to keep Luna talking; keep her mind active and blood flowing. 

"I'm scared!" 

"I know you are," Lysandre began, but was unable to continue as the two were pulled under, the pounding of the river beating their eardrums. Luna let out a scream that wouldn't be heard; they were surrounded in darkness, then emerged from the water from what seemed like hours. Luna's tears were undetectable, as she felt herself getting lifted into the air again, the water below her, threatening to snatch her up as she stared at it, eyes wide. Luna could see Lysandre's flames for hair get pummeled from the current like red seagrass. Luna gripped his shaking arms tightly as she felt Lysandre's right arm grip her tightly before he sank underwater, unable to balance himself. Luna held her breath in time before she dropped below the surface, latching herself to Lysandre as she could feel a branch scrape past them, disappearing into the murky waters, taking her calmness and bravery along. 

Lysandre just needed to swim a bit closer to shore—they were just so close but so far—something wrapped around his legs—they were underwater—Lysandre struggled to find which way was up—he refused to let go of Luna— 

He could see his bandages had come loose and had started to wrap around his legs. He swore, bubbles trailing from his mouth as he felt Luna wrap herself tightly around his torso with her arms and legs, refusing to move for the world. It was impossible to grab the bandages as they struggled in the water, obnoxiously dodging Lysandre's hands, unable to free himself so he could resurface and let Luna breathe again. He clutched her tight as his body was spinning like a marble; up was down, down was up, he was staring at the dark bottom of a river, then suddenly he saw the sunshine through the surface. 

Dirt was everywhere, sticks scraped his skin, his leg was locking up, but what concerned Lysandre the most was Luna's grip was starting to fade. She was slipping away from him, but the harder he tried to resurface, the deeper they seemed to go. She was flailing desperately now, air escaping her lungs as she failed to contain her breath any longer. Luna stared at Lysandre through the water. It felt like time itself was going still as Lysandre could almost hear a clock ticking like a heartbeat, counting down the precious second's Luna would spend for the last bit of her life: cold, terrified, and betrayed because the one man tried to save her ended up killing her. 

They locked eyes, and Lysandre held her tightly. They couldn't reach the surface in time, but he could give her everything he had. Holding her to his chest, he pressed his lips to hers and breathed semi-fresh air back into her lungs, giving her the last of what he had. 

She seemed to snap back into it, blinking rapidly, revigorated. She held tightly onto Lysandre, who felt his body smash itself into a wall of rock before the world around him collapsed on itself. Luna did not let go as she felt his body go limp, and she heard birds chirping when something hard struck her head, knocking her unconscious as the two were thrown onto the bank. 

___________ 

"Look, Giovanni," Guzma said as his face showed through the other side of the screen. "I just did you a massive favor, here." 

"What could you have possibly have done for my benefit, Guzma?" 

"I just fooled a bunch of chumps, yo!" Guzma thumped his chest then flashed the peace sign, grinning. "Also, I got a lot of dirt from the cops and hunters." 

Giovanni narrowed his eyes that told Guzma to explain. 

"The police were surrounding the forest, and they saw me leaving it, so, like, I cooperated with them so they wouldn't get suspicious. Told them y'all were in Aether Paradise. Now all you gotta worry about is deadly bounty hunters." 

"We can handle a few rouge do-gooders." 

"This one loony, Hunter, he's out for blood, man. I think he wants to kill you personally. I've been spreading rumors 'bout you and your gang, y' know, to fuel their already inferno of hatred at you. They're coming today, I think." 

"Today?" 

There was an extremely uncomfortable pause. 

"Yeah... they were really bad rumors." 

"Guzma?" Giovanni asked in a tone of forced calm, taking a breath. 

"Yeah?" 

"Is the entire bounty hunter clan coming?" 

"Yeah...?" 

"And you told them the rumors last night?" 

"Yeah." 

"You told them we were sex trafficking the kids, didn't you?" 

"Yeah...." 

"Guzma?" 

"Yeah?" 

"I hate you." 

The line went dead as Giovanni stood up, heading out the door with his Persian in his wake before he slipped out the back door, swearing under his breath. Now he had to hurry; the entire bounty hunter clan was arriving, and he had to make sure the brat was dead. 

"Damn," Giovanni growled, seeing the current race by like a watery stampede. When he threw her in, it was not this high; it was high, but the water had definitely risen since the early morning when Giovanni snuck to get the girl. 

He hurried down the trail, down to the river, and stopped seeing a pile of Lysandre's clothes piled on top of his shoes. Of course, the goddamned Kalosian would be here. _Why would_ he be here? **_How_ ** **** did he even know to be here? 

"Lysandre," Giovanni swore under his breath, gritting his teeth. "I'm going to personally kill you." 

He hurried down the river's edge, spitting choice cuss words, and stared at the water while walking as fast as possible. Surely, it wouldn't be challenging to see a bright orange mane of hair in an all-blue strip of water? Maybe he drowned, maybe Him and Luna. That wouldn't be a bad thing, really. Luna needed to be dead, anyway, and if Lysandre went down with her, it could be better that way. Damn Pyroar-man was too soft, anyway. If they were found at the end of the river, by the time the incompetent police figured out that the very hard-to-miss mansion wasn't Aether Paradise, but was instead hidden off the map, the team would have already left for the airport. But where on earth was— 

Giovanni tripped and fell, his hands sinking into the mud several inches as he looked over and saw Lysandre, laying there with Luna clutched to his chest, soaking wet and lifeless. He and Luna were covered in mud and bruises while numerous open cuts decorated their bodies. 

_Ah, there he is._

The mafia boss stood up, rolling Lysandre onto his back, revealing a massive bruise forming on his side. He slapped the Kalosian's cheek several times. 

"Lysandre, wake up," Giovanni hissed through his teeth, glaring. Looking down at the two, Luna was breathing, while Lysandre was not. "Please don't make me do this." 

Luna was in a comatose, refusing to awaken despite Giovanni's attempts to shake her. 

Giovanni pumped Lysandre's chest and checked for breathing, clenching his jaw. If he let Lysandre die, right here and now, what would happen? Archie and Maxie would definitely get suspicious, and the least thing Giovanni needed was a delay with the authorities so close to finding them. They could begin to fight, and then all five would be found, vulnerable, and off-guard. 

If he revived Lysandre, then he could bring Luna back to the mansion, everyone leaves for the airport, and the kids would be left behind to be safely returned to the mother by the police. Giovanni held Lysandre's head in his hands, shivering with a hatred he didn't know existed. He prepared himself to deliver the Kiss of Life, thankful the stupid Kalosian would be unable to remember any of this. 

"Dammit, Lysandre, if you don't live from this, I will personally hurt your corpse." 

He forcibly pumped Lysandre's chest, ignoring the blood staining his palms. How did Lysandre know Luna was in the river? More importantly, how did they both survive? Scratch that; how did Luna survive? 

Giovanni knelt over and pressed his lips against Lysandre's, forcing air into the Kalosian's lungs and pressing it out, before repeating the process. 

It just didn't make sense. Giovanni knocked Luna out and threw her into the water. _She_ should have been the one dead! 

Chest compressions. 

How does something like this even happen? Did Lysandre just _happen_ to walk to the river and _somehow_ know Luna was swept downstream? 

Resuscitation. 

Why would Lysandre even have any reason to come this way? To test his leg? There's a whole mansion to exercise his stupid leg. Why travel through a wet forest, slog through a mess of mud, and go swimming to literally die? What could he have possibly had to gain from this? 

Chest compressions. 

"Wake up, you idiot!" 

Giovanni slapped Lysandre's lifeless face out of spontaneous anger that quickly faded when it rose. 

"I need you to open your eyes and look at me!" 

He pumped Lysandre's chest harder. Forcible breathing. Intense compressions. The rhythm became fiercer with each second. The river seemed to be roaring in victory at Giovanni, whose anger rose like fire. He did not want to bring the little girl back, and let a useful, influential leader to miss the opportunity to see the whole point on _why_ Giovanni threw the stupid brat into the river in the first place. 

Giovanni wanted Luna gone to intimidate Lysandre into submission to Giovanni's power. To make someone to respect the leader was to take away what the target wants and needs. Lysandre was disagreeing with Giovanni; take away Luna. He fought back for the Holo Caster; take away his Pyroar. 

With nothing else to lose, either choose to stick to the leader or surrender to the enemy, Lysandre would be forced to join Giovanni. 

"Wake up, Lysandre!" 

How did Lysandre know about Luna, though? Just how?! It was like she had a guardian angel or something. Giovanni figured it would be something he would never figure out. 

______________ 

"Your time is not yet, son," a thin, pale man with hazel eyes said, standing across a long field full of flowers that made the entire ground a rainbow. 

Lysandre looked around, spinning slowly as he couldn't figure out where he was. He couldn't see the sun, but the world was bright and sunny, and golden stars sparkled in the grey-blue sky light LED lights on a painted background. 

"What?" Lysandre asked, watching an unknown bird Pokémon glide across the sky before flying past. There was only a ground of flowers as far as the eye could see, but Lysandre watched the bird vanish behind a wall of solid gold in the far distance. "Where am I?" 

"Lysandre," the man continued, walking closer to the confused Kalosian. "It's not your time. You need to return." 

"Who are you?" Lysandre looked behind him to see a large forest packed with trees looming in the distance. There was a tall, wired gate that blocked the forest from the floor of rainbow flowers. One side of the fence held the rainbow flowers, which Lysandre and the man were standing, while the other side hosted grass and the dark forest. 

Something bright illuminated the sides of the trees, moving closer as the light shifted. Lysandre squinted, the light coming closer. 

"Malva?..." 

Malva appeared from the trees, her body a bright, glowing, pale blue that lit up the darkness of the forest as she slowly approached. 

"Lysandre!" The man said, walking over to Lysandre's side. 

"Hold on, what is Malva doing here? Why does she look like that?" 

"Not everything that catches your eye will be good for you. Look at me and ignore her." 

"She was in Team Flare," Lysandre said dismissively, waving his hand halfheartedly. 

Malva approached the gate slowly like a doe, standing inches away from the gate but not touching it. Another bright glow came from the heart of the forest, and Chalmers appeared. Lysandre hesitated, slowly recalling what he remembered last. 

His leg hurt then; it wasn't now. What was he doing last? 

"Lysandre," the man repeated. "Look at me." 

Lysandre looked at the pale man. He looked vaguely familiar, his silver-white was pulled into a thin ponytail, he was thin, and looked rather pale. The Kalosian _seen_ that face before, but where? 

Lysandre tried to remember the man, but the man only had similar facial futures of someone he knew. Lysandre's pupils constricted in fear as everything flooded his mind in an overwhelming torrent; the river, the man giving Lysandre directions, jumping into the water, giving Luna the rest of his oxygen. 

"Luna!" 

"You have been given another chance, Lysandre," the man said, placing a hand on the Kalosian's shoulder. "Luna needs you." 

Lysandre felt something tighten inside his chest, growing gradually warmer before it flared up into flames, burning the inside of his torso. He looked down to see his body _had_ gone up in flames. A bright, blue glow that engulfed his body but did not burn. The man looked at Lysandre with a heavy look of desperate hope as Lysandre's view was burning brighter with each second. 

"Your soul has been rekindled to your body," the man explained, answering Lysandre's worried expression. Lysandre felt himself calm, the world suddenly at peace as he looked at the man. "It's time for you to wake up." 

Lysandre closed his eyes, but the brightness still burned his retinas, almost making the Kalosian wondering he would be blinded. 

“Waaaaaaaaaakkkkkeeeeeee uuuuuuuuuuppppppp!” 

It sounded like someone was shouting through several pillows, while Lysandre heard his heartbeat return to his body like an ancient clock finally getting to work again. 

“Waaaaaaakkkkeeee uuuuuuppp!” 

Who was calling him? Everything was so bright... 

“Lyyyyysaaannndddrrreee!” 

The brightness was dimming slowly, but he still couldn't see. Was that water he was hearing? 

"Waaakkkeee uuuupp!" 

His whole body seemed to be held down by a weighted blanket, making it extremely difficult to breathe. 

“Lyyysaannddrree! Waaakkee uup!” 

His breath caught in his chest, and the brightness blocking his vision magnetized into a ball about the size of the corner in the sky. The voice sounded familiar. 

"Wake up!" 

Lysandre's stomach lurched and he sat awake, retching water out of his burning lungs and collapsed onto his back, his breath rattling. He saw where he was, but could not comprehend anything as Giovanni was shouting in his ears. 

"Get to the mansion! Now!" Giovanni roared, lifting Lysandre onto his feet, causing both to sink several inches into the mud. Lysandre's head rocked on his neck as he stumbled several feet, failing to mentally focus. Giovanni lifted the comatose Luna and thrust her into Lysandre's chest. He stared at her for a few seconds, and Giovanni saw something flicker in Lysandre's eyes. 

"The bounty hunters are coming right now! We're out of options, Lysandre! Get to the mansion! NOW!" _"You have been given another chance, Lysandre, Luna needs you."_

_Luna needs me._

Lysandre saw where he was going, but he wasn't watching where he was going. He stumbled, slipped, and crashed through the path, somehow not falling down when Luna was held to his chest. 

_She needs medical attention._

All his limbs seemed to have minds of their own; Lysandre could have been easily confused to be smashed entirely with Spirytus Stawski as he painfully stumbled back to the mansion. The cold water no longer numbed his leg, making his calf burn like lava flowed in his veins that only circulated in his lower leg. It was the only thing that kept him awake as he held Luna as if she was his very soul that would disappear if he fell down. There was the mansion. What did Giovanni tell him? Something about bounty hunters? 

He smashed the back door open, showering the floor with muddy water. 

"Giovanni?" Archie asked from the living room. 

Hearing no reply from the back door, Archie looked at the group, who exchanged glances with each other. Sophie's house of cards fluttered to the ground when Archie stood up, but she picked up on the uncomfortable tension that entered the building and said nothing, more interested in who was at the front door. 

"Woah!" Archie said in the hallway. 

Maxie's jaw clenched as he set down his finished magazine, standing up and following in Archie's footsteps. Ghetsis's lips formed in the smallest of undetectable smiles as he watched Maxie and Cyrus leave the room, followed by the brats. 

Jackie's jaw dropped as he watched Lysandre hold an unconscious Luna to his bare chest, his pupil's pinpoints as he refused to let anyone take her from him. 

"We need to leave!" Lysandre barked, wincing when Archie touched his shoulder to guide him further into the building. "We're under attack!" 

"The girl needs to be warmed up," Cyrus said this time. "Archie, guide Lysandre to his room. Maxie, take the girl." 

They may have needed to use a crowbar; Lysandre refused to surrender the girl to anyone, not even Ghetsis, who was unable to jog Lysandre's memory on his asking Ghetsis to take care of Luna. Archie managed to get Lysandre in a chokehold, which wasn't easy due to the height differences, but it seemed to take an eternity for Lysandre to loosen his grip on Luna to pry his neck free from Archie's arm. Maxie and Cyrus took Luna away. Ghetsis and Archie made sure Lysandre wouldn't turn feral on any of them; Ghetsis seemed extremely temperamental when Lysandre started kicking the air, clearly remembering nearly getting his wrist broken by the Kalosian. 

Jackie followed Cyrus, who was holding Luna. 

"What happened?!" 

"Ask Lysandre, kid," Maxie said tersely. "Not me." 

Cyrus laid Luna down on his bed, looking at Maxie. 

"Her bleeding doesn't seem extreme," Cyrus said. "But her body temperature isn't ideal." 

Jackie climbed onto the bed, crawling over to Luna. Was he really this stupid in not paying attention to her? The boy lowered his guard; he didn't keep her in his vision the entire time and resulted in Luna getting hurt. Jackie was going to let Lysandre have it as he glared coldly, wondering what Mama would say if she walked in on this. Would she be mad at him? Scared of how he failed to protect his family? Disappointed? He bitterly wished the police would arrive right this very second. 

*** 

"Lunanneedsmeh," Lysandre slurred, exhaustion crushing his body. Ghetsis's eye flicked up and down at the Kalosion's muscular body, and he curled a lip, tightening the grip on his cane. 

"Lysandre," Ghetsis snarled. "Look at me or I'll smash my cane into your foot." 

Lysandre collapsed on his bed, breathing heavily. His mane of hair looked entirely out of control as he brushed some out of his face. 

"Luna needs rest right now, and you would probably hurt her unintentionally." 

"Giovanni...." 

Ghetsis raised an eyebrow. 

"What about him?" 

"He warned...." What did Giovanni say? A hunt? Lysandre hissed through his teeth as his leg tightened in burning pain. "Escape." 

"We need to leave," Giovanni said in the doorway, looking at the three with a cold gaze. "Bounty hunters are on their way right now, and we need to leave the kids." 

"Now?" Ghetsis grumbled, shifting his weight. "Good... we can abandon the pests, then." 

"Come on, Lysandre," Archie said, tugging Lysandre into a sitting position by pulling his hands. "We need to go. Do you know what happened, Giovanni?" 

"Not really," Giovanni truthfully said. He _intended_ for Luna's loss to lasso Lysandre into Giovanni's command, but only to find out that Lysandre _somehow_ found Luna and died; the summary, in a nutshell, Giovanni hollowly mused. 

"Come on, Lysandre, we need to leave!" Archie said, hurrying out the door. Ghetsis turned on the spot, his cane unintentionally hitting the exposed flesh in Lysandre's leg. As the Plasma leader followed Archie out of the room, the physical pain snapped Lysandre back into reality, locking him back to the world. He jumped to his feet, coming face-to-face with a very aggravated Giovanni. 

"You better do as I say, Lysandre," Giovanni spat, speaking pure venom threatening to melt his very words. "Or this time, Luna will not be able to be found." 

"It was _you!"_

"Is that a surprise? I can't let these brats become distractions." 

"You didn't need to try to throw one in the river! If we're being hunted today, why didn't we all leave and let the kids stay here?" 

"Because I know you didn't keep your end of the deal, Lysandre," Giovanni spat, making Lysandre's eyes narrow. "I told you to say your leg wound came from the battle, not because I commanded my Persian to attack you from the shadows." 

"How did you—" 

"I always find out! And you told Maxie and Archie exactly what happened! Another slip-up and Luna will not be alive the next time you find her! _If_ you find her!" The two stared at each other coldly, before Giovanni turned his back to Lysandre and left the room. "Put some clothes on, too." 

Lysandre stared at his bloodied hands, wondering how much Giovanni knew about what other things that Kalosian had shared with others. 

_How did Giovanni know about what I said to the others?_

He moved as fast as his leg allowed him. 

__________ 

Everyone crowded in the living room, Giovanni standing as the ringleader, eyeing everyone with a hard glare. 

"Everyone, we need to leave immediately," Giovanni began, but the lights went out in the building, making everything rumble to a soft sigh, then silence. 

Jackie held Sophie to his side, while Archie was holding Luna, standing behind the two children. 

"The power did not shut down on its own," Cyrus said. "It has been shut off to bring someone to the breaker room." 

"What does that mean?" Sophie asked, shivering as she held Jackie's hand. 

"It means," Giovanni growled into the darkness. "They're here." 


	7. Run, Boy, Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackie relives some of his abuse. Ghetsis has the spotlight for a while. All the boys know the only way to survive is to kill or be killed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I apparently got bounty hunters and mercenaries mixed up, so I may have broken a jillion protocols bounty hunters have to follow for the sake of the story. I kinda leaned more on the RDR2 side on what they should do.

No one said anything in the cold, darkened room. Sophie clung tighter to Jackie, whimpering softly. There was an occasional cough and the gentle shifting of shoes, but otherwise, the room was silent.

Giovanni put his pointer finger to his lips, pointing to down the hall before motioning everyone to follow him, stealthily padding down the hallway. 

Six men and three children slunk past the foyer, treading as softly as possible, which was more comfortable for Cyrus and Maxie with their lighter bodies. The door handle jiggled, making Sophie stop abruptly in the path and almost causing Archie to trip over her. 

"Are they going to hurt us?" She croaked, hugging Jackie's arm tightly. The handle was turning slowly as if whoever was on the other side was trying not to be heard when opening the door, which was locked tight. 

"No, and shut up," Giovanni hissed, walking past the foyer. Giovanni wasn't stupid in forgetting to lock the doors after Lysandre entered the building. 

"Wait," Jackie whispered, looking at Giovanni. "Are those the cops?" 

"Sh!" 

Luna buried her face into Archie's chest, curling up as tightly as possible, making his suit start to grow damp. There was another gasp, but not from the children. Lysandre's leg was still throbbing in pain, and the lack of medications made the burning feel worse than before. Ghestis, who's height was the closest to the Kalosion's, quickly slapped his hand over Lysandre's mouth, curling his lip in disgust as if he was touching a Cubchoo's drip. 

Lysandre whimpered again, the pain growing like a fire. He thought water from the river was actually his blood, he realized, that was trailing down his calf and pooling in his shoes, making his foot needlessly warmer than the other. 

“Sh....” Ghetsis hissed, glaring at Lysandre. “I will personally skin you alive if you utter a single sound.” 

The two locked eyes and the Kalosian nodded, understanding Ghetsis’s frustration. But the pain.... 

The Plasma leader pulled his hand away and wiped it on his robe, hobbling ahead with Lysandre limping behind. 

_“Ah!”_

“Lysandre,” Ghetsis growled, gripping his cane handle tightly. “I’m going to freaking debone you like a Finneon.” 

“I’m so sorry my leg is in _unbearable_ pain right now,” Lysandre hissed loudly, towering over the Plasma leader. Sophie looked over and thought she imagined the Kalosion’s eyes shine in the light like a cat’s in the night. Despite the high levels of intimidation, Ghetsis did not back down. 

“Is that a challenge, pretty boy?” 

_“Zip it!”_ Maxie hissed at the two. And that was that. 

Giovanni saw the outline of a person in the window, their shadow hitting the screen, giving an appearance of a transparent shoulder and the face's tip against the screen. Since the lights were off, it was easier to see the shadows from outside. 

_A simple mistake, idiot hunters._

"Are they the cops?" Jackie asked in a scared whisper. Usually, when the cops came, they knocked loudly. Why the secrecy? 

"Shush," Giovanni hissed, sparks coming from his eyes as he looked behind the group. Lysandre narrowed his eyes at the mafia leader, noticing that Giovanni seemed... off, somehow. He couldn't pinpoint it, but there was just something not right with him. 

They were in the living room now, and Jackie stopped suddenly, staring out the window, suddenly feeling vulnerable and fearful. He was half-expecting an entire S.W.A.T team to break in through the windows and surround everyone. 

He was literally pulled out of his reverie as Ghetsis yanked the boy by the arm, forcing him to the wall. Sophie yelped, pulling feebly at Ghetsis's robe in a pathetic attempt to help her brother. 

"Get away from the windows, kid!" Ghetsis snarled in a low whisper. 

Lysandre groaned, filling the air with the smell of blood. The Plasma leader gave a dark glare but didn't attempt to repeat anything.   


"I'm scared," Sophie whimpered, starting to cry. 

"Stay," Giovanni snapped, glaring at the three children. "Here, we leave." 

"Wh— what if they try to hurt us?" 

"They aren't going to hurt you." 

"Why not?" Jackie asked as Archie was gently setting Luna down. She looked at him with the pain of being rejected, but he merely turned his back on her. 

"The police won't hurt you, kids," Maxie whispered. "They only are here for us." 

They slowly crept towards the garage, and Luna followed like a young Litleo, quietly retreating with them. Jackie, heart hammering in his chest, quickly grabbed her arm to prevent her from running off, but she pulled herself away and hurried to the garage door, where they could see Ghetsis's retreating backside slip away. The garage door closed silently behind him. 

"Luna!" Jackie hissed darkly through his teeth, pulling her back towards him. "Don't follow them! They need to leave us here!" 

Luna looked at him, tears in her eyes. Her bottom lip trembled when she spoke. 

"I didn't get to say goodbye." 

"Now isn't the time to get feelings," Jackie snapped back, frowning. "They are bad people, Luna." 

"Not bad," Luna whimpered. "Confused." 

"It doesn't matter," Jackie said irritably. "You, me, Sophie—" 

He jabbed his head towards Sophie, only to notice she wasn't there. His heart skipped a beat when he realized the garage door was ajar. Still holding Luna's hand, Jackie hurried into the garage and saw Sophie hurrying to catch up to the men, who failed to notice a little girl tagging behind them. 

"Sophie!" 

Everyone except Cyrus jumped from Jackie's sudden burst of noise, and Maxie felt Archie's fingernails painfully dig into his shoulders. Giovanni was in the lead, followed by Maxie and Archie, then Cyrus. Lysandre and Ghetsis were bringing up the rear. They all looked at Sophie as if she was an activated grenade. 

"What? I want to ask them a question," Sophie huffed, folding her arms. Giovanni rolled his eyes. "Besides, it's important." 

"Get out of here, brat!" Ghetsis snarled coldly. 

"I need to know something!" Sophie tugged on Ghetsis's robes, ignoring Jackie telling her to return. In response, Ghetsis lashed out his foot and cracked his heel against her temple, sending the girl to fly a little before collapsing on the cold floor, skidding to a stop. Jackie and Lysandre shouted at the same time. 

"SOPHIE!" 

Lysandre shoved Ghetsis aside, beating Jackie to the girl, who did not awake to his touch. Jackie was at her side seconds after. 

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" 

Jackie lunged furiously at Lysandre to push him away, but he was a mere Fletching to a Pyroar and turned to Ghetsis. 

"Try me, brat," Ghetsis sneered, his one eye trained on the boy. 

Brat. 

_"I wish you were never born, brat."_

Kid. 

_"You think I want you as a pathetic excuse of a son? You're just a retard set up for failure, kid."_

Boy. 

_"If I would have known you would be the result of my semen, I would have aborted you, boy."_

Jackie stared at Ghetsis, his heart shattering in his chest, knowing he was no match against this creep. His chest threatened to stop as tears started to develop in his eyes. He couldn't fight Ghetsis.... but the bounty hunters could. 

"HELP IT'S TEAM ROCKET!! WE'RE HELD CAPTIVE!!! HELP ME!!!!" 

"Everyone! Out! Now!" Giovanni barked, knowing that their cover was blown. Archie took Cyrus and hurried out, while Lysandre picked up Sophie in one arm and Luna in the other, ignoring Ghetsis yanking on his jacket and hissing, "leave them!" Over and over in his ear.   


"Not like this!" Lysandre snapped back, wincing when Ghetsis grabbed fistfuls of Lysandre's mane and forced the Kalosian to his feet, ignoring Jackie's lame attempts to attack the Plasma leader. 

Giovanni snarled in anger, watching Lysandre refusing to get dragged out by Ghetsis, while the rest tried pulling the two apart. 

Lysandre shoved Ghetsis away, losing a tuft of hair in the process. Ghetsis snagged Lysandre’s wrist and yanked him forward, clawing his face. 

The two were at each other's throats and might have actually killed each other had they not been held apart by the rest of the team. 

"I'm so sorry, Fire-head!" Archie apologized and swung his foot into Lysandre’s damaged calf, causing him to blanch and collapse, forcing the fight to a close. Ghetsis barked a laugh, looming over Lysandre. Archie shot him a glare. 

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Giovanni roared at the team. “NOW!!” 

*** 

"What do you think happened here?" A female bounty hunter asked, gun resting in her hands as she nodded to the table. The kitchen window's glass panes were missing. 

"I don't know," Hunter said as he ran his finger down a gouged mahogany table. He rubbed the blood flakes between his thumb and pointer finger, watching the red chips slowly trail to the bottom of the table. He perched his sunglasses on the top of his head as he saw threads of a rope snagged on the table leg. It looked like someone had been tied down and sliced open. "Torture, most likely. Those animals...." 

The third hunter who entered through the kitchen window stalked to the back door, noticed the muddy footprints, and avoided stepping in the trail as he unlocked the door. 

"Hunter?" He hissed through an earpiece. "Front door. Blood and muddy footprints." 

Hunter emerged, his Ak-47 resting on his back. One hip held a Glock while the other had a taser, and his belt consisted of bullets.   


Hunter's eyes followed the trail into a bedroom that smelled very faintly of a light cologne. His gaze targeted a soaked outfit that lay crumpled at the foot of the bed. 

"Still wet." 

"Hunter, sir?" Another voice on the radio. "Huge bloodstain in the office. Investigate?" 

"Investigate." 

Hunter noticed a pale bloodstain that followed from the kitchen into the office his associate was talking about. It looked like someone tried to clean the mess in a hurry.   


He walked in on his associate, examining a splash of blood. There was an imprint of a large puddle, but it was cleaned rather well as opposed to the hallway. 

"Interesting," was all Hunter said as he saw there was speckled crimson on the walls like splattered paint. 

"There are scorch marks, too." 

Hunter could see the carpet had several burned spots and was gashed in many areas by a three-clawed Pokémon. 

"Fire-Type fight?" the man asked again, looking at Hunter. 

"Chuck," Hunter said as he raised a strand of fur to his eyes. His focus shifted to the files on Giovanni's desk and picked up a note, glancing at the words _Flight_ _-_ _395._

"Get information. See if there are any leads on what Giovanni plans to do with the children." 

"Rodger that." 

Hunter entered the hallway, listening as he started walking to the kitchen, which was getting more crowded as his team entered through the now unlocked door. 

"There's a good chance they're still here," Hunter said softly in the headset. "Snipers, focus on—" 

"HELP IT'S TEAM ROCKET!! WE'RE HELD CAPTIVE!!! HELP ME!!!" 

"Garage!" Hunter barked, flipping his sunglasses down as he shoved through the doorway. "Go!" 

He charged through the hallway with his team stampeding behind him. 

"Sam! Zoe! Leave the mansion through the East side and flank the garage door!" Hunter barked, making two people flee to the front door. "Harry! Paul! Take the West!" 

Hunter slammed through the garage door, unholstering his gun and aiming it right at the six team members.   


"Don't move," Hunter growled darkly. "Unless you want to live." 

Everyone raised their hands in submission. 

This was it. All six men were in his range, and he would be the one to bring them down. 

“Leader, step forward.” 

Giovanni approached Hunter with raised hands. 

“On your knees.” 

Giovanni complied, kneeling down with his hands on his head. 

Maxie shifted to the side door but was stopped in his tracks by a man wearing a bulletproof vest and aiming a gun right at the Magma leader’s head. 

“Bring the children forward.” 

Giovanni smirked as he could hear shuffling behind him, then a loud bang that erupted everyone’s eardrums and made everything mute as the garage exploded into light. He stood up quickly to see everyone scrambling out of the door, and saw bullets penetrating the walls and cars. Lysandre, with the aid of Archie, was the last to leave. 

Lysandre turned to see Giovanni smirking as the bullets passed through him, and the mafia leader vanished in a haze of broken light. Lysandre hated every fiber of Giovanni’s being. 

_He used my_ _Holo_ _Caster. He has_ my _Holo_ _Caster!_

“What was that?!” Maxie asked as he stumbled behind Ghetsis, who was cackling. 

“Flashbang,” the Plasma leader said victoriously. He sounded remarkably muffled, as everyone's ears were ringing. “Had one from Colress and never had to use it until now.” 

"A warning would have been nice," Maxie mumbled, hearing his own voice as if it was underwater. He knew the others couldn’t hear him as he spoke too low. “I love stumbling deaf and half-blind—” 

Maxie tripped on a rock and fell face-first into the dirt, quickly looking up to see the rest were already far ahead of him. He stood up and dusted his jacket off, and when he looked up through dirt-smeared glasses, the group was already out of sight. 

_How fast can they walk?_

“They’re hot on our tracks,” Cyrus said loud enough for the others to hear. “We better split.” 

“We meet up at the garage when those idiots have left it,” Ghetsis said loudly for the rest to hear him. “But don’t expect me to wait for you.” 

The Plasma leader vanished into the forest, his robes billowing behind him. 

“He has my Holo Caster!” Lysandre growled, pulling himself free from Archie. “I don’t know when he would even have time to find it!” 

He glared and looked around and noticed the children weren’t with them. “Wait, where are the kids?” 

“Lysandre,” Cyrus said. “The hunters are right behind us. We must push forward.” 

“Lysandre—” Archie said as the Kalosian wormed himself free from the pirate’s grip. He landed on his good foot and ran back into the foliage. 

“We can’t leave them!” 

“It’s suicide!” Archie called to Lysandre’s retreating backside. There was no response, and he turned to Cyrus. "Meet Maxie and me at the river. I don't know where that red-headed whelp went off too, but I'll see that he’s in one piece.” 

Cyrus nodded and hurried ahead. Archie jumped out of sight and waited for his nerd friend to appear, snapping his fingers to his ear and grew pleased to know he wasn’t going deaf. 

*** 

Maxie was running as fast as he could possibly go, blindly lashed by branches and tearing his jacket, which snagged on limbs and low branches. His breath was ragged, and his lungs were burning, before he slipped on a root and stumbled, rolling on the dirt and flopping on his back, not even attempting to pull himself up. 

"Maxie?" Archie whispered through the bushes, and, for once in his life, Maxie felt a warmth of joy flood his entire body when he saw that stupid face poke out from the foliage, where twigs and leaves clung to his beard. 

"Archie!" Maxie panted, gladly accepting the pirate's hand and was furiously yanked to his feet, but he was more relieved than angered at how hard Archie pulled him up, as he knew his legs were shaking from exhaustion. 

"Hurry," Archie said urgently. "To the river." 

"River? You know we can't swim away," Maxie began, stumbling as he was pulled along by his wrist; Archie's grip was a vice. 

"Not for escaping," Archie said hurriedly, dragging Maxie behind, who was failing to keep up with the pirate's speed. 

"Where are the others?" Maxie asked, hearing the river's roar, faint at first, growing louder the nearer they got. "Where did they go?" 

"We're meeting Cyrus at the river." 

"Ghetsis and Lysandre?" 

"Ghetsis is going to meet us at the garage." Archie checked behind him before letting go of Maxie's bruising wrist, slowing his run. "Lysandre went back for the kids.” 

"Well, it was nice knowing them." 

They approached the massive river, where Archie started searching the bank. Maxie’s ears were still ringing, but he could hear the water gushing past. 

"When you said Cyrus was meeting us," Maxie gasped, clutching a stitch in his side. "That meant you waited for me?" 

"Of course," Archie answered. "I told Cyrus I would wait for you and for him to run ahead." 

"Really?" 

"Of course, we're a team, aren't we?" 

Maxie looked and saw bushes rustling violently as if a human was crashing through. He thought about what Archie said. They were a team, that’s right. Even if they had many differences, they had to stick together. 

Cyrus crashed through the foliage, but he wasn't alone. A bounty hunter had her hands tightly wrapped around the Galactic leader's throat and wrestled him into the dirt, pinning him down. 

"Cyrus!" Archie barked and tackled the female off of him, grabbing her middle and slamming her onto the ground, rolling onto the muddy bank, and managed to slap the taser out of her grip, where it spiraled into the air and landed into the mud. She found herself crushed on the bottom of Archie's weight and threw her head back to call for backup.   


"OVE—" 

Archie slapped a muddy paw over her hand, crushing her stomach as he rested all his weight onto her abdomen. Maxie hurried to Cyrus's side, who was massaging his throat. 

"Are you hurt?" 

Cyrus shook his head and coughed dryly, standing up slowly; his jacket was now stained with mud and clay. His cold blue eyes strayed to the taser that was neglected on the ground and picked it up. Maxie watched Archie headlock the female, who unclipped a knife from her belt, the blade quickly reaching five inches. Archie was holding her painfully to his front, their feet shifting on the slippery ground as the two scuffled for dominance in the match; her face was turning red from the lack of oxygen.   


"Archie!" Maxie fearfully cried out, watching her grip her knife tightly as she brought it down to impale his gut— 

_**_

_Crack._

She collapsed, lifeless as her head was tilted at an odd angle from her neck. The blade fell dully into the mud, impaling the ground. 

Archie frisked her, finding ammunition but no gun, before throwing her body into the river, where she disappeared into the watery depths. 

"Her gun is in the forest somewhere," Cyrus said hoarsely. 

"We need to get out of here," Maxie stammered, adjusting his glasses. "We just need to hope Lysandre and Ghetsis are fine." 

"We need to go to the garage," Archie asked, plucking the blade from the dirt and wiping it off with the corner of his suit. “But, the hunters are everywhere." 

"The airport's our best chance when we make it to the cars," Cyrus said. "We just need to hope the others make it there on their own accord." 

No one seemed bothered that Archie just killed someone. In fact, they knew it was all they needed to do to survive. There was no time for mercy. 

"Let's go," Maxie said with a tone of calm. "Let them know that we won't run in fear." 

"Just let me get something first," Archie said, walking to a tree with a hole in the trunk. His arm disappeared in the gap before retrieving a sheathed sword, where the hilt glinted in the sun. 

"Please explain," Maxie said, wondering why he wasn't shocked when he saw this. 

"When we went swimming," Archie said, sliding his sword onto his belt, which seemed to vanish entirely on his person. Maxie wondered where on earth Archie succeeded in hiding such a large weapon for so long and that he could have been on him for the entire siege of Rainbow Rocket, and no one even knew. "I didn't want it to rust. So, when everyone was looking at the water, I slipped it in the tree. I knew it would rain, so I covered it with leaves. Worked, too." 

Cyrus was nodding slowly, while Maxie simply sighed. 

"Very well, now, let's go to the garage and hotwire a car." 

The three walked down through the forest, straining their ears for Hunter's hunters. 

Everyone stopped abruptly, causing the rest to pause, too, before the ringing of gunshots blasted nearby, causing everyone to hit the ground; Maxie had his hands over his head. 

"Sh!" Archie whispered hoarsely. 

"Sh yourself," Maxie grumbled, hearing footsteps approach them. 

"Stand up!" A bounty hunter shouted, one hand on his gun, which was pointed at the criminals, while his other was inches away from a pair of handcuffs that were equipped on his belt. 

Archie slowly rose to his feet, hands in the air, while Maxie followed suit. His glasses slid off his nose and fell on the dirt. 

Another hunter emerged at his side, pulling her gun out and keeping it aimed at the trio. The two slowly closed in on the three. 

"Where are the children?" 

_They don't know where they are. We have one advantage._

"Like we're going to tell you," Maxie sniffed, eyeing the male. "Kill us first, and you won't find them." 

The female gave an audible growl, clicking her gun. Archie's hands were a blur; there was a _shing_ of metal sliding into combat and a _clang_ of a sword striking the gun aimed right at him. The gunshot filled the air as the female shot right when he hit her weapon, making the bullet impale the dirt. The pirate body slammed the female, while Maxie took on the male, wrestling by holding his wrists and keeping the gun away from his person. 

"Get off—" 

Maxie was strong, but the male was stronger, slowly leaning further over Maxie and forcing the shorter to step back. Archie could see his friend was weakening, and wrestled the female, intending to kill. The two were rolling on the ground; she wanted a break in the fighting to shoot the pirate and kill him, while Archie wanted a break and get the gun away from her. 

Archie managed to get on top, having both of her wrists pinned, and she used her legs to try and break free. While her upper half was trapped, she was not going down without a fight to the death, repeatedly smashing her knees into the pirate's testicles, feeling him flinch each time. If he relented the grip on her wrists— which was all she needed— she would wrench her hand free and shoot him in the face. She knew everyone needed to be brought in alive, despite Hunter's opposing opinions, but if they fought back and/or endangered lives, the bounty hunters had every right to fight back and possibly kill. And this was a time to kill. 

Archie knew what she was aiming for, and each painful smash to his poor balls made his legs weaker, and he knew his body was starting to curl into the fetal position. If he let go, he knew his life would be over. 

Maxie yelped; in the corner of the pirate's eyes, he could see Maxie's body start to tremble from the exertion used to hold the hunter at bay. The hunter didn't even look like he was breaking a sweat, and poor Maxie would get killed the second he broke away. It dawned on Archie, as he knew that death would be the only way to victory.   


He locked eyes with the female hunter, and she saw a glint of fangs before he sank his shark teeth into her throat. 

She gave a wet gasp as blood was already escaping her mouth, her eyes bulged, and she was unable to scream as Archie's jaw tightened around her throat, crushing her esophagus and ripping through her trachea and piercing her larynx. Blood flooded his mouth, and the wet, coppery taste coated his tastebuds as he closed his jaws of death. He yanked his head back and spitting out the mouthful of raw flesh, looking down at the pained- filled eyes of the female, who was twitching and choking on a puddle of blood, spraying it in the air like a grotesque fountain. Her eyes flickered as her thrashing weakened, and she focused on Archie as her last seconds alive were drowned in bloody pain, letting out a bloody gurgle. 

Archie wiped his mouth and turned to the man who managed to push Maxie to the ground, his finger on the trigger— 

_BANG!_

Maxie's ears couldn’t take any more noise damage as he had his hand shielding his face in a vain attempt to protect himself, but when no pain came, and the sounds of scuffling broke through the ringing, he lowered his hand and slowly opened his eyes. 

Archie had come to the Magma leader's rescue just in time. 

Archie grabbed his enemy’s wrists and spat a mouthful of blood into the hunter's eyes, forcing the other to go blind. Archie unsheathed his sword without a second to lose, which was a silver arc as it hit the sun— and the hunter's skull, cleaving his head apart in a mess of fluids. The victim collapsed without a sound. 

Just like that, the sword was mysteriously hidden back on Archie's person. 

"We did it, Archie! We beat them!" Maxie said, standing up and picking up his glasses. "Come on, Cyrus!" 

Archie wiped his tongue on his sleeve, looking at the Galactic leader, still idle on the ground, where a puddle of blood was forming. 

"Cyrus?" 

* * *

“Sh!” Jackie whispered to Luna, who was whimpering softly. Jackie pushed her further under the branches of a leafy bush. 

“I’m scared,” she squeaked. 

"Just be quiet, and I'll find one of the good guys, okay?"   


She nodded and curled up to her sister’s lifeless form as soft whimpers escaped her lips. 

Jackie crawled from the foliage, standing up and spitting out dust. Where would a good guy even be? 

_What do I do? Will no one help us?_

Just as he was ready to collapse into a nervous breakdown, he heard someone crashing through the forest, and his chest rose with hope. 

“H-hello?” 

“Jackie?” 

The boy clenched his jaw as Lysandre stumbled out to where Jackie was standing. 

“Jackie!” Lysandre gasped, leaning heavily on one side. “Thank Xerneas, you're safe!"   


“Who is—” 

“Where’s Sophie and Luna?” 

“Hiding,” Jackie spat, then quickly added, “from you.” 

“I need to get you out of here,” Lysandre said quickly, scanning the area. 

“But aren’t we trying to _go_ to the hunters?” 

“If they find out Sophie has a concussion, they’ll skin us alive before we have a chance to explain the situation. I need to make sure she’s safe.” 

Jackie looked at the man in disgust, his eyes narrowing into an angry squint. 

“Since when did you care for our safety?!” 

Lysandre balanced his weight on both feet and folded his arms, speaking in a low, calm tone. 

“Ever since I saw you standing at the front door.” 

Jackie went silent, looking away and slightly curling his lip. 

Luna poked her head from the bushes, crawling across the leafy dirt. 

“Someone’s coming,” she said softly. 

Jackie felt conflicted. He hardly knew Lysandre, but he gave more compassion than he thought was possible in a span of what, two days? Three? But, yet, the man was kind and helped them when they needed it. 

But he was in Rainbow Rocket and could never be trusted. 

“Where’s Sophie?” 

Luna pointed to a bush nearby, and Jackie didn’t stop her as he watched the Kalosian duck into the bushes, searching for Sophie. He only could see his hands pushing away the leaves when he heard a click of a gun and froze. 

“Rise slowly.” 

Lysandre obeyed, slowly raising himself with his hands up, but Hunter shook his gun as Lysandre’s height matched Hunter’s, making him stop. The Kalosion saw Hunter was holding Sophie to his chest. 

“Not your full height!” 

Forced to slouch, Lysandre backed up as Hunter advanced, his gun trained to the Kalosian’s heart. 

Luna saw the two and started trembling violently, hugging Jackie’s arm. 

“Stop—” Jackie said urgently, his voice raised. 

“Turn around, kids, and cover your ears," Hunter said coldly. “He deserves to live no longer.” 

Luna's eyes widened, and her breathing quickened. Tears gushed out of her eyes as Jackie started rubbing her back in an attempt to calm her down. 

Lysandre stumbled as the heel of his injured leg collided with a mossy root, standing his full height to balance himself, and Hunter thrust the barrel of his gun to Lysandre’s throat. 

“No!” Jackie pleaded. “Stop!” 

"You could have left them," Hunter snapped, his Glock unwavering as a simple finger movement would send a bullet through Lysandre’s mylohyoid and through the back of his skull. "Why did you return for them?" 

"Well, they need to have _someone_ looking over them," Lysandre growled, not out of anger, but out of pain, tears pricking his eyes as clenched his jaw, flushing with sweat. 

Everything hurt on him: his arm where the bullet sliced the skin from Giovanni's weapon; his side where he felt was bruised and sore from the river; his face from the punches, which were given by Giovanni; his leg from the stupid Persian, which was commanded by Giovanni; his back from laying on the bed in the same position hours on end because of the stupid Persian controlled by his master; his eyes from getting washed dry by river water, which Giovanni threw Luna in.... everything was in pain. And everything was pointing to Giovanni's doing. 

"You took them," Hunter growled sharply. "Why?" 

"I didn't want to leave them," Lysandre sighed. "They were so helpless and lost when they came to the mansion. But I couldn’t abandon them even during our escape, Although I probably should have left them to you and your bounty hunters. They would have given the appropriate help." 

_"' I want to leave them,'" he said to Jackie's mother, who refused to look him in the eye. He turned on Jackie, cornering the boy. "I should have left you two to the Drifloon. They would have taken mistakes like you away from me."_

Jackie frowned, trying to keep Luna’s anxiety from causing a breakdown. 

Hunter’s eyebrow raised from under his sunglasses, so, Lysandre took it as a cue to keep talking. 

"I don't like the feeling of leaving a hurt child," Lysandre continued. "It just didn't feel right to just abandon someone who just got injured." 

He wondered if he would have answered that differently in the prime of Team Flare, knowing the answer. 

_"Leave her alone!" Jackie sobbed, watching him strike the sobbing Sophie hard across the face. He stood up, looking down at Jackie like he was disgusting vermin. He scoffed and turned his back of the terrified children, shutting them in the closet and locking the door, ignoring the pained, muffled sobs of Sophie._

"This doesn't make sense," Jackie spoke up, turning to Lysandre. "You're... you're— evil." 

"Yes, he is, Jackie." 

"Just don't hurt the children," Lysandre said darkly, seeing his own reflection in Hunter's sunglasses. He saw himself give a sigh of defeat, closing his eyes and accepting his fate. As long as the children were safe. Lysandre closed his eyes, knowing the conversation was dismissed. 

"Such strange words coming from the likes of you," Hunter said truthfully, keeping his Glock on Lysandre. 

"Jackie. Luna." Lysandre spoke in the tone of a firm father. "Look away and cover your ears. Hunter will take you home now.” 

Where was his fire? Lysandre felt so physically broken. And exhausted. 

“No!” Luna choked, tears running down her face. “Not again!” 

Hunter turned to the girl, and Lysandre allowed himself to slit one eye open before seeing Hunter wasn't going to kill him just yet and turned to look at Luna, too.   


“Again?” 

He came out of nowhere; Ghetsis had launched himself onto Hunter, and there was something in his eye that meant he was not in the mood to negotiate. 

The two were locked immediately in close combat: Ghetsis used his cane as a sword, swinging it so hard into Hunter's wrist that it forced him to drop his Glock, which fell with a dull thud against the dirt. Hunter had fought against many in physical combat and knew he could overpower the sociopathic geezer. Wasn't he paralyzed or something on his entire side? 

The two grappled each other, scuffling the dirt as they slowly spun, trying to overpower the other, but try as he might, Hunter could not take down the Plasma leader. 

Jackie watched in terror at what was happening, wanting Hunter to win so he could take the three home, but, secretly, of course, wanting Ghetsis to win so Hunter wouldn't hurt Lysandre. 

Wait, what? Who cares what happened to Lysandre? He was the _enemy!_ They all were! 

Ghetsis broke free and slugged Hunter's face. He immediately scooped up the Glock, and the Plasma leader was on the man like a starved Ursaring, shoving him back, and the two stumbled into the foliage, disappearing from sight. 

Luna hurried to Lysandre's side, who was standing up on shaky legs, rubbing his throat. She hugged his good leg and immediately created a wet spot from her tears. 

"I'm returning you and your sisters to the garage, Jackie," Lysandre said through clenched teeth. He stoked Luna's silvery hair, and she hugged him tighter. "I can't afford you to get hurt." 

_"You deserve to be locked in the garage for the night, brat," he snarled angrily through clenched teeth. "Hopefully, you'll get hurt and die."_

Jackie felt hot tears forming in his eyes, and he growled at himself, kicking a root that protruded from the earth. He saw Lysandre was already a few feet ahead, limping, before stopping and looking back to see if Jackie was following. 

The boy was absolutely confused. Why, after blowing his cover and never once genuinely thanking him, did this man still wait patiently for him? Why was he doing this? 

"Why are you doing this to me?" Jackie said through a tight throat, wiping his eyes angrily. 

"I'm not doing anything," Lysandre said with a note of knowing something. 

That stupid expression adults give when they are hiding something.... his unreliable answers.... what was this man trying to prove? Jackie didn't know, and the more the tears flooded his face, the more vulnerable and angrier he got. 

"I HATE YOU!" 

Lysandre didn't look even remotely shocked at the boy's outburst. 

"I never asked you to like me, Jackie."

_"I HATE YOU!"_

_"I know you do, you wretched brat! You think I want something as vile as you to love me? You are no son of mine! Don't you cry, you little piece of trash! Are you really this pathetic to cry? STOP CRYING!"_ _He raised his hand into the air..._

Jackie flinched as he saw Lysandre's hand move, only to realize that he held Luna to his chest (she was still shivering) and held his hand out for the boy to take. 

"I'm not going to hurt you, Jackie." 

And with that, the boy completely broke down. 

He started sobbing, but Lysandre didn't try to silence him for fear of getting caught or tell him to stop crying like an obnoxious brat. He didn't even get mad, Jackie realized when he placed his hand in Lysandre's, thankful to do so since his tears were blocking his vision. Instead, Lysandre gently started to guide them back to the dreaded mansion, knowing precisely what was in store for him.   


Lysandre stared ahead as he felt oddly numb despite being wracked with pain mere minutes ago. 

* * *

The two were rolling downhill, clawing, scratching, biting, and kicking while their clothes snagged on twigs and tore on rocks. Ghestis grabbed Hunter's shirt and pulled at it while trying to wrap his hands around his throat. Hunter aimed to gouge Ghetsis's eye out and almost succeeded in ripping off the creepy red monocle. The hill was getting steeper, and the two were virtually bouncing off the hillside now, smashing hard each time they made contact with the earth. Hunter's sunglasses had fallen off a while ago.   


_Crack!_

The AK-47 took the brunt of the fall, hitting against boulder and Hunter's spine. Ghetsis took the opportunity and grabbed the strap, yanking it off Hunter's body, leaving it on the side of the hill, where the two were starting to reach level ground. Their tumble stopped, and they were at the calmer, smaller section of the river. 

Cut, bruised, and bleeding, the two rose to their feet, spitting out blood. Hunter charged at Ghetsis, taser in hand, which clicked alive with electricity. 

Ghetsis made a powerful kick that defied his age and condition, making contact with Hunter's wrist and making the weapon fly a few feet away. 

That didn't deter Hunter, who charged at the Plasma leader, body slamming him down. Ghetsis grabbed Hunter's ponytail, violently yanking it like a rope. He cackled insanely, and Hunter connected his foot into Ghetsis's shin, although it was hard to tell what he was hitting with the large cloth robes in the way, shielding the body underneath.   


Ghetsis released Hunter’s hair and attacked the jugular with his nails, but Hunter blocked the attacks with the palm of his hands, before punching Ghetsis’s exposed eye. The Plasma leader snarled, pulling away and standing his full height, reaching a foot higher than the other.   


Hunter wasn’t afraid of the size of his competition. They rounded on each other like two dominant Charizards, thirsty for blood and hungry for flesh. 

He would not lose his career to some sociopathic cyclops; he was here for a reason!   


There was a flurry of robes— sweat sprayed into the air as the two were refusing to yield—Hunter managed to hit Ghetsis’s wrist and realized he found the Plasma leader's weak spot. Ghetsis had held his hand to his chest for a brief second, and Hunter knew where to hit again. But Ghetsis had jumped into the air, tucked his feet into his chest, and kicked into Hunter’s front, making the younger man flying backward and landing into the grass. He rolled onto his feet and was greeted with a fist to the face. 

He grabbed Ghetsis’s wide collar and yanked the Plasma leader off balance, sending a roundhouse kick into the side of his face. Ghetsis was struck on the other side of his face with another roundhouse kick, before getting grabbled with a tackle and sent to the ground. He used the momentum and kneed Hunter's rear, sending him to overshoot and fall above Ghetsis, scrambling to his feet. 

The Plasma leader rose quickly, grabbed Hunter's face, and swiftly brought it down as he raised his knee, cracking his opponent's nose. Hunter, with what little space he had, body-slammed himself into Ghetsis’s chest, sending the Plasma leader to fall over. Ghetsis swept his foot across Hunter’s ankles, making him lose balance but caught himself in time. 

He stood over Ghetsis, reaching for his belt and pulling out a Pokéball that expanded in size as he clutched it. 

"Luxray! Thunder!" 

Hunter threw a Pokéball into the air, where a powerful Luxray emerged, its body crackling with electricity. Ghetsis smirked, knowing he didn't need a Pokémon to win a fight. The bold of electricity surged from the sky, but Ghetsis was ready. The Plasma leader jumped into the air as if there was a spring hidden underground, dodging the attack and pouncing on Hunter, knocking him down. The lightning speared the ground where Ghetsis was seconds ago, charging the earth with electricity and making a crater, burning the plants around it. 

Hunter slipped a hidden dagger from his boot as his Luxray charged at Ghetsis with a Thunder Fang, glaring. 

"Ha!" Ghetsis scoffed, and, as the Pokémon jumped to sink its fangs into Ghetsis's skin, the Plasma leader turned to the Luxray, unsheathing his sword from his cane. Hunter's eyes widened as he saw what was going to happen a second too late. 

Ghetsis plunged his sword into the Luxray's open mouth, spearing its throat and causing the blade to come out the other end of the skull, splattering the black mane with crimson liquids. 

"LUXRAY!" Hunter cried out as his beloved Pokémon slid off the blade, eyes reflecting shock. It lay lifeless in a pool of blood, its maw still crackling faintly with charged up electricity as the sword was still lodged in its skull. 

Hunter stabbed at Ghetsis's throat, forcing himself out from under the Plasma leader who blocked the attack in time by grabber Hunter’s wrist. He wrenched the dagger away with his other hand and threw it away into the grass, where it glinted like ice in the sun. 

Hunter shot his hands out and constricted Ghetsis’s throat, digging his nails into the skin. Ghetsis gagged, clawing at Hunter's wrists to break himself free, but Hunter didn't relent. He watched Ghetsis's face start to go blue, his avenging mind watching the suffocation with angered relish. 

Ghetsis knew he couldn't remove Hunter's hands by force, and let go of the unwavering wrists, feeling his throat close up entirely. He used his free hands to grab Hunter's face and sink his thumbs into the bounty hunter's eye sockets, feeling blood soak his thumb the deeper he went in.   


Hunter screamed and let Ghetsis's throat free to clutch his face, pulling back. Ghetsis took his chance, grabbing Hunter's ponytail and wrenching the youth's head back, and jammed his knuckles into the sensitive Adam’s apple, pleased to hear a gag. 

He rose to his feet, forcing Hunter to stand before kicking the stupid punny-named man in the balls, making him kneel. Hunter blindly clawed the robes in front of him, feeling a boot connect to his throat and making his wretch. He stood up again, slowly, painfully, before feeling his left knee forcibly bend the wrong way with a sickening crack. 

Screaming, thrashing, praying for anyone would find him, Hunter was left as wounded, blinded prey.   


A gunshot clapped through the forest, and Ghetsis felt the air tear at his cheek before a trickle of blood ran down to his neck. He turned and saw another bounty hunter with his gun out. He fired again, and Ghetsis reached into his robes, pulling out Hunter's Glock to fire back at the blonde. 

Ghetsis struck the hunter's thigh, while he got shot in the robe, his hidden arm now starting to bleed. 

"Augh!" The bounty hunter collapsed, trying to crawl fully behind cover as Ghetsis started walking over, his robes billowing to give him the appearance of a phantom as he drifted closer. The Plasma was on him instantly, the sun glinting off his red lens while his face was bathed in shadow. 

"I was going to kill him," Ghetsis nodded to Hunter, bleeding and broken on the grass. "But I changed my mind." 

The man saw Ghetsis’s smile grow on his face and knew he was going to die. 

Ghetsis raised the Glock, and the blonde-haired man squeezed his eyes shut, expecting to be shot in the head. But his arms exploded with crimson blood as bullets shot through them, causing the man to scream. 

The Plasma leader laughed with joy, grabbed the hunter by the hair, and dragged him painfully across the ground to the river, making a blood trail. Ghetsis placed the man’s front on the bank, where his stomach was growing wet with the shore. Ghetsis 

Ghetsis watched in relish at the man's pitiful attempts to break free as the Plasma leader dunked the hunter’s head into the water, tightly holding onto his hair before he yanked his head back, making the bounty hunter gasped and choke, spitting out water. 

"I am Ghetsis Harmonia, leader of Team Plasma. And I have won this battle." 

And with a loud splash, Ghetsis dunked the man's head entirely underwater, cackling the whole time as the hunter’s body thrashed and flailed, before going still. His chest stopped moving. 

Ghetsis shoved the body into the water, walked past Hunter, who wasn't moving and looked up at the hillside they tumbled down. He picked up his sword, and it vanished in his robes back to a cane.   


All the excitement and adrenaline had filtered out of his body, and his entire body started to feel every hit it had taken. Grumbling, he tightened the grip on his cane and started to walk. 

* * *

"Cyrus?" 

"I am alive," the Galactic leader said as he was raised onto his feet. The bullet had skimmed his thigh, tearing a hole into his pants and slicing some skin off, and Cyrus limped when he was set on the ground. The two kept their arms around him to keep him from falling. "Archie—" 

"I know," Archie said. It looked like he dipped his chin in a red paint bucket. It was dripping off his face and clogging his beard. It had stained his suit as well. And the taste? To say he was a Shapedo and go voracious and bestial when he tasted her blood would have been a lie. He saw the danger Maxie was in, and he knew he needed to do whatever he could to win the fight. And he had to use whatever he had. By doing so, he ultimately won. 

"Should we still go to the garage?" Maxie asked, watching the blood ooze down Cyrus's leg, making the cloth shimmer. 

"What other choice do we have? Archie answered, spitting on the dirt. The copper taste still lingered, and he didn't like it. 

"That is our best option," Cyrus mumbled, walking with Archie, who had his arm around the Galactic leader. 

The three slowly trekked back the way they came, waiting for anything to happen, but nothing did. No hunters came from the bushes, Hunter himself didn't find them, they didn't bump into Lysandre, Ghetsis, or the kids. It was a paranoid calm. 

The mansion was in view, and Archie (still spitting out the blood that tainted his mouth), hurried in his step. Cyrus's hand was tightly gripping the pirate's suit, but he did not once speak out in pain. 

"Should I scout ahead?" Maxie said in a low whisper, adjusting his glasses. 

"We can take 'em," Archie whispered back. And with that, the three slowly walked to the mansion, feeling extremely uneasy. Cyrus’s grip tightened on Archie’s suit as he had to keep up with the pirate. 

“Here, Cyrus,” Archie said with too much casualness as he scooped the smaller leader to his chest, carrying him bridal style. 

“What is this for?” Cyrus did not look happy as his whole body bobbed with each step Archie took. Dregs of blood were splashing onto Cyrus's front.   


“To keep your leg from getting further damaged. The rate everyone’s legs are getting damaged, we might have to invest in wheelchairs.” 

They crept into the garage, carefully pushing the door open and slipping inside. They could see the used flashbang in the center of the garage. 

“You!” 

Archie, Maxie, Lysandre, and Luna jumped out of their skins when Jackie called out. 

“You’re alive!” Maxie said, his voice unable to hide his surprise. 

“I don’t feel alive,” Lysandre mumbled. He had Sophie sitting against the wall, while Luna decided to hug Lysandre’s side like a Komala as he held her to his chest. “Everything feels surreal.” 

“We need to leave immediately," Cyrus said coldly. "Archie set me down."   


The pirate set Cyrus on the ground, where he wrenched open the door to a rather expensive car, crawling inside to the pedals to reach for the wires. Maxie hurried to open the garage door. 

“Where’s Hunter?” Archie asked as he watched Lysandre step away from Sophie and gently pry off him, making her only cling on tighter. 

“Alive,” Ghetsis said hoarsely, covered with blood and dripping with sweat as he stood in the entrance to the garage like a deadly phantom. There was a cold chill in his presence as he scanned everyone with one exposed eye and curled his lip. “But only just.” 

"Ghetsis! You made it!" Archie said, but it was unknown if he was speaking out of disappointment or joy, as his expression could have been read either way. "Get in the car!"   


“Where’s Giovanni?” 

“He escaped,” Lysandre growled darkly, feeling both uneasy and thankful he didn’t run into the mafia leader alone. “Maybe he got killed, though.” 

Lysandre bit the inside of his cheek. _That's_ why Giovanni wanted it so badly. He needed to escape while the rest of the team were left to defend themselves. 

Everyone looked at the mighty Kalosion, who was silent for a long time. It was unclear what he thought before he licked his lips and stood up straight. Luna was still hugging his chest. 

“He has my Holo Caster,” was all he said in a toneless voice. 

There was a popping of electricity, and the car's engine roared as it was awakened before mellowing into a soft purr.   


“We better leave now,” Maxie said softly, grabbing Luna and peeling her off of Lysandre, to which she pouted. Jackie hurried to her side and held her hand. “Before we’re found.” 

“Dead,” Ghetsis rasped, walking over to the car. 

“What?” Archie asked, as Cyrus slid out of the car and stood with the rest. 

“They’re dead.” 

“All of them?” 

“All that I found.” 

“Wait,” Jackie said boldly, feeling his knees growing weak just in the mere presence of Ghetsis’s character. “Does that mean we won’t be found?” 

“I’m sure you’ll be discovered. Eventually,” Ghetsis said dismissively. 

“We’ll starve!” 

“Not my problem.” 

“Wait, Ghetsis,” Maxie said. “If we bring them, we can use them for scapegoats. They could be our ticket out of here.” 

Ghetsis curled his lip at the children, looking at Sophie with visible disgust. 

“Just keep them away from me.” 

* * *

It felt like a bizarre road trip, Jackie realized, when he and Luna were ushered into the back seat. Lysandre sat next to him, holding Sophie to his chest. He had to duck so his head wouldn’t hit the roof as much. Ghetsis took shotgun, and Maxie took the wheel. While Lysandre was on Jackie’s right, Archie was on his left, and Luna was on his lap. Cyrus was next to Archie and closest to the door. 

Archie was going to comment on why Cyrus picked the smaller cars out of the whole lot but kept quiet as the vehicle rumbled out of the garage and into the forest path, as there was no actual driveway leading to the road. Maxie was solely relying on guesswork on where he would find any streets.   


No one said anything as they bumped past trees and an occasional bounty hunter; the girl with the snapped neck could barely be visible behind shrubbery. 

Jackie watched everything pass by, wondering what would become of him. 

* * *

All he tasted was blood. The rich, coppery tang that wrapped around his tongue and flooded his nasal cavity. A headache was blasting his mind, and he retched whenever he tried to move his mutilated eyeballs in their sockets, almost passing out each time. He groped his belt, but couldn’t feel his Pokéballs. Was his earpiece still in? 

Gingerly touching his ear with blood-covered fingers, his heart painfully throbbed in relief as the piece was still in his ear, completely secured. He clicked a button. 

“Ch—” He heard himself rasping dryly and coughed. “Chief H—Harlow. Do you hear—” He coughed again; his voice painfully strained. “Do you read me?” 

His everything was in pain, but what hurt the most was that he lost to Ghetsis. All his training and all-nighters at the gym suddenly felt like they didn’t matter anymore. 

“Harlow?” 

He spat blood out and scrunched as tight as he could into a ball. His leg felt like it was ripped apart. 

“Hunter?”

The deep, booming voice of the chief had never made Hunter ecstatic before. 

"Chief! Chief! Chief!" And Hunter spoke as if he had two heads; words collided with each other, and he interrupted himself to talk about other things; such as when he suddenly started to cry about his Luxray, but changed his subject the children and their safety, then continued on about everything he saw and did out of chronological order until everything he thought made sense was pushed out in a flurry of emotions. He lay there, crying and heaving when he finished.   


There was a long silence, then— _What?”_

*** 

“Speak to me, Hunter,” Chief Harlow said as he was returning from Aether Paradise, driving back to headquarters. They had searched the entire island, but Rainbow Rocket wasn’t there. “Where are you?” 

Josephine was in the passenger’s seat, watching Harlow with analyzing eyes. 

“On our way.” 

He made a deep sigh as he took a turn, away from headquarters. The sun was slowly setting after the day of uneventful searching. 

“So,” Josephine said waspishly. “Hunter got himself into trouble, again. And it’s up to us to get him out of it. Again.” 

"Yes, and yes," Harlow sighed. "But he has information on the leaders. Get the team on the phone, Josephine. Tell them to go to the airport immediately and get medical units for the forest."   


“As much as I hate him, Hunter is right. We should give our locations actual names instead of general summaries of where they may be.” 

They turned down the road, and Josephine gasped. Harlow raised an eyebrow. 

“That car!” 

“There’s loads of them.” 

“No! That gray one! Look in the passenger seat!” 

Harlow narrowed his eyes, focusing on who it was, as they were a reasonable distance away as they drove speedily down the street.   


_“Him!”_

The lights flicked on, and the sirens wailed. 

***

“We’ve been spotted,” Archie said as he craned his neck to look behind them. “You better step on it, Maxie. They’re gaining.” 

With a loud growl of the engine, the fancy Porsche streaked down the street with the police hot on its tail. 

Josephine leaned her head out the window and fired a shot, her hair lashing in the wind. Harlow grabbed her arm, indicating she needed to pull herself back in her seat. 

“Don’t shoot at them,” Harlow commanded. “The children might be in there.” 

“Very well,” Josephine grumbled, dialing on a handheld machine, not unlike a phone. “Medics? Yes, I need you to go to a forest...” 

*** 

“Arceus!” Archie barked, flinching when the bullet struck somewhere behind the car. “Drive faster, Maxie!”

Maxie clenched his jaw and almost flipped the car from making a dangerous sharp turn, zooming down another street and causing an angry driver to honk at them. The smell of burned rubber briefly filled the air before the Porshe disappeared down the road, making a less sharp but still dangerous turn.   


Sophie’s eyes flickered a little, and she placed a hand to her temple. 

“Everyone,” Maxie said urgently as they passed a large, grassy plane blocked by a chain fence. The air traffic control tower was seen in the distance before vanishing behind the large building of the airport. “Get ready to run.” 

Cyrus clenched his jaw, fingering the tear in his leg. How could he be able to run? 

Someone honked as they were run off the road by the speeding Porsche, followed by a team of police cars. They were now at the terminals for people to be dropped off and picked up. The vehicle bumped harshly from an obstacle and jolted before shooting ahead. 

“I don’t think speedbumps are supposed to scream,” Archie said to Maxie. 

"Don't worry about it," Maxie said back. "Old hag has got to go some way or another.” 

Jackie covered his ears, feeling nauseous. 

“Get ready....” Maxie mumbled, slamming the breaks and turning the wheel, making the car spin and lean, stopping exactly five feet apart from the entrance doors. It gave a tired sigh and continued to purr softly as five men scrambled to get out, understandably freaking everyone out and making them run out of the way. 

Just as Cyrus was about to take his first step out, Archie had scooped the Galactic leader up bridal style and ran after the others. 

_Oh._ Was all Cyrus thought. 

It was the weirdest stampede to be seen in an airport; five men, in which three were injured, hobbling through the building as fast as they could while two were carrying the missing children. The smell of blood trailed behind them. 

“Hurry, Lysandre!” Ghetsis barked at the mighty Kalosian.

Since his hair gotten messed up by the river, it still resembled his iconic mane but looked wilder and more disheveled, giving him an appearance of a feral Pyroar who would bite anyone who dared to get close as he lagged behind. 

_“Flight_ _-_ _395 is ready for departure_ _,”_ a charming female voice chirped over the speakers. Several people quickly rose from their seats to immediately freeze at the sight of the men. 

“Freeze!” Josephine called out at the men, who skidded to a stop at the terminal. A group of policemen was aiming their guns at the team, while innocents had taken cover. Archie hugged Cyrus to his chest, while Lysandre was going red in the face as he had to embrace the pain. “Or we’ll shoot!” 

"That's not wise," Ghetsis chuckled, stepping forward. He held Hunter's Glock to Jackie's temple, having the trembling boy close to him. 

“Release the boy,” Harlow growled, clicking his gun. 

"Let us go," Ghetsis smirked, watching the police with his eye, pressing the weapon against the boy's head, making him whimper in fear. 

Harlow looked at the fear in Jackie’s eyes, watching the boy silently cry as tears ran down his cheeks. 

"Stand down," the chief snarled. "And let the children go." 

Ghetsis smirked, still facing the guards as he walked backward through the terminal with the rest of the group. They boarded the small passenger plane, and Ghetsis smirked seeing the previous passengers already left, making the flying machine was empty. It held at least twenty. 

“Oh, Arceus,” The captain gasped, pushing the stewardess behind him. Ghetsis pointed the gun at the captain, who slowly raised his hands in submission. The co-pilot avoided Ghetsis’s eyes. 

“Fly this plane.” He then flicked the gun at the stewardess, who yelped when he barked. “You! Close the door.” 

Jackie was sobbing loudly as the stewardess shut the cabin door, trembling as she quickly returned to the captain's side. 

“Turn off the GPS.” 

The co-pilot quickly flicked a few nobs and pushed buttons, sweating nervously as the GPS was cut off. 

“Fly.” 

The three looked at each other without a sound, then nodded grimly as the two activated the plane, making the machine's engines roar to life. 

“Talk on the radio,” Ghetsis hissed darkly, leaning over the captain’s shoulder. “And I will shoot someone.” 

No one said anything as the plane roared and hurried down the runway before thrusting into the air, ascending into the clouds. Lysandre felt like his leg was getting crushed from a giant invisible fist and had to bite his knuckle to not scream. 

"Maxie?" Archie asked as he watched the world shrink below in a haze of a burnt orange of the sunset. Millions of the lights below illuminated the cities and towns, and he could see the tiny lights of cars moving below. 

“Yes, Archie?” Maxie asked as he stood behind the pirate, watching the world below. 

“Do you think the other regions exist? Or we’re only flying locally?” 

"Then everything we did was for nothing," Maxie said. 

Jackie was starting to calm down, wiping his nose with his sleeve as he sat next to Sophie, who was curled up like a little Pachirisu. 

The world was growing into darkness as the plane glided through the clouds. 

*** 

“We don’t have enough fuel,” the captain said as there was nothing but ocean below them. 

“Keep flying!” Ghetsis snarled, keeping the gun on the stewardess. “And do not stop!” 

“But—” 

“Keep flying!” 

“The plane isn’t designed to fly further than—” 

Ghetsis smashed the hilt of the gun into the stewardess's temple, where she collapsed into a heap and didn't rise.

Without another word from the pilots, the plane flew on. The hours melded together, and the adrenaline started to blow away. Cyrus looked at the tear in his leg, examining the wound. It looked like it had been crudely cut and pulled at. He ran a finger down the skin of the injury, smearing the blood. How interesting that the body made the wound much more painful than it looked. He looked over to Lysandre, who was busy calming two overly emotional children. 

The night passed on, and Ghetsis did not move, keeping the gun aimed at the pilot. The plane started to make a loud whine as it glided on. 

“I don’t think we will make it to another landmass,” said the co-pilot. “The only closest region now is—” 

“Fly to it!” Ghetsis snapped. 

“But the region is so—” 

The gun clicked, and no one said anything. The two pilots were no match against six men, and could only do what Ghetsis wanted, praying the kids were not going to get hurt. 

"Very well," the pilot said miserably and forced the plane to fly. Ghetsis noticed how quiet everything went after a while and glared at the two pilots. “What did you do?” 

“We ran out of fuel,” the pilot said nervously. “All we can do is glide.” 

“What does that mean for us?” 

"Well, seeing how our altitude is currently thirty-six thousan—” 

“I don’t care about that! What does that mean for us!” 

“It-- it means we have at least twenty minutes before we land.” 

“Is that enough time?” 

“We believe so.” 

Looking through the front, Ghetsis could see the lights of another city over the horizon like winking stars shrouded in twilight. 

Ghetsis turned around, smiling victoriously. But no one was awake save for Cyrus and Jackie. Lysandre's head was leaned on the side while Luna was on his lap, curled up in his jacket which she was sharing with Sophie; Archie's face was against the window, his mouth agape as his mouth fogged the window with each breath as he was pressed against the plane's side. Maxie was using Archie as a piece of furniture, leaning against the pirate and using his side as a pillow. Cyrus just was staring at Ghetsis, who was shuffling over, growling at the pain in his arm where the bullet had struck. It didn't hit the bone, and the bleeding had stopped as nothing major was punctured, but it still hurt like an angry Hydreigon bite.   


“Help me wake these fools,” he spat, and Cyrus started to shake the others awake. 

Maxie peeled himself off the pirate and adjusted his glasses. 

“I didn’t realize I fell asleep... I didn’t feel a thing.” 

“I did,” Archie groaned, stretching his arms. “And it was extremely boney.” 

He didn’t realize how skinny Maxie really was and never knew the Magma leader’s elbows could cause so much discomfort when they were jammed against the pirate’s body. 

"Quelle nuit...." Lysandre mumbled, shivering. He wondered why he felt cold to realize his jacket had been donated to become a blanket for the girls. 

“We’ll be landing shortly,” Ghetsis cackled. As if on cue, the plane dipped slowly. 

“You mean we’re not in Alolah anymore?" Archie asked, wiping his mouth, and perking up. 

“We left that dismal trash heap hours ago.” 

“Where are we now?” 

The leaders stood up and looked at the glowing city below them as the exhausted pilots glided them downward. 

“Woah,” Maxie mumbled. 

Jackie held his sisters close to him as Lysandre bit his knuckle again, blanching. 

“I can’t believe we actually succeeded in this,” Archie said as he pressed his face against the glass. Cyrus narrowed his eyes as he watched the world change below him. 

“It would be best to have a plan when we land.” 

“That’s a good idea, Cyrus,” Archie said, nodding. His beard looked like there was an attempt to clean it, but the blood had tangled the hairs together to give a wiry appearance. 

“We run for it,” Ghetsis grinned as he watched the city’s lights grow larger as they neared the ground. “And kill those in our way.” 

Jackie shivered. 

“We just have one small problem.” 

“Who said that?” Ghetsis hissed. 

“How will we land?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since 9/11 passed, I don't feel as uncomfortable posting the hijack scene. I still purposely didn't put as many emotions in the scene, though.


	8. Breaking Bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanksgiving dinner with the inlaws 2.0. Awkward, filled with tension, and you swear someone's going to end up dead before the night's over.  
> Everyone stays later than planned, and Sycamore really doesn't like it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ever had that friend/acquaintance who you really don't like having around you, and the longer they stay, the twitchier you get? Just me?

"This is the last footage of the team holding the children hostage," The news reporter said to the camera as a grainy image of five men and three kids vanishing into a terminal appeared on the screen. "They took the pilots as hostages as well and cut off their GPS. The police are currently trying to contact the other regions. The children appear to be unharmed for now." 

"While the children are alive," a man with dreadlocks said as the camera cut to him. "A man named Hunter Daisuke has been found maimed and half-dead in the forest where Team Rainbow Rocket was hiding. He was in critical condition when the medics rushed him to the hospital after losing to a fight by Ghetsis Harmonia Gropius. He is currently on life support and is the only survivor." 

Fear was all she felt as she watched a video of a man whose injuries were blurred out as he was on a stretcher pushed by paramedics who hurried into the back of an ambulance. Judging by the red pixels, he had lost a lot of blood. 

The reporters were somberly telling the news of the raid that had happened throughout the day, but the mother wasn't listening. All she knew was her children were gone, and there was nothing she could do about it. 

Last night, they raided the forest, and the mother was expecting all three of her children to be at the front door, successfully retrieved, and all of Team Rainbow Rocket sent to jail. But that didn't happen; her children were farther away, now, and all hope of them getting found had vanished. 

"Such a shame those brats are missing, Charlotte," a thin, ghost of a voice said from behind her. 

"Samael!" She gasped as she jumped to her feet despite becoming weak in the knees moments before. "Miss me, Charlotte?" 

"Impossible!" the mother barked, gripping the edge of the sofa and impaling the cloth with tense fingers. "You can't be alive!" 

"Oh, but I'm not alive," Samuel mused, approaching the distressed woman. "You heard of my suicide when they broadcasted it on television." 

Reading her expression of confusion as a cue to continue, he spoke again, pacing the living room. She watched him as if he would spontaneously combust, jumping when he cleared his throat. 

_Why_ did those police have to leave her alone? 

"You heard of poor Samuel Night shooting himself in the head with a rifle in his apartment. But did you see it?" 

"I know the police did—" 

"—not. They rushed in to see not me, with an exploded head, laying on the floor. They saw Sammy, my twin brother." 

"But you never said you had a twin," Charlotte choked. 

"No one knew. My father almost killed him but decided he was suitable for labor. We kept him hidden in the world and locked him in the basement. We fed him, so he was fine. 

When you were stupid and figured out where I lived after you killed your child and husband, I had to act. But I planned this out for months; every moment you were in labor, I used down to the very second. 

It wasn't hard; when the police surrounded the building, I shot Sammy in the face. I then had the air vents specifically unbolted, so I escaped through the interior of the building. It was difficult, but they were so focused on 'me' that I was able to run." 

"Get away from me, you psycho!" Charlotte screamed as Samuel was starting to advance on her. "You're inhumane!" 

"Is getting an abortion inhumane, _Charlotte?"_

"I wanted nothing to do with you! That baby would not live to suffer, knowing that its daddy was an apathetic criminal!" 

Samuel smirked, stopping in front of the female. 

"Then, I'll make sure the next one dies with you." 

Charlotte screamed as Samuel pounced on her, his empty eyes reflecting a predatory gaze. 

* * *

"Land us away from the airport." 

"But—" 

Ghetsis pressed the gun to the co-pilot's head, and the plane dipped along the bank of the region and the ocean, lowering until it risked snapping trees. Dirt and shallow-rooted plants were whisked away under the tumbling breeze of the Airplane, sending a storm of debris to trail behind it. 

Jackie watched the world blur past below him in a mess of color, the anticipation to land swelling in his chest the higher the ground rose. He felt a hand pull him back, and as soon as Lysandre embraced him, the plane smashed the ground and quaked everyone inside. 

No one said anything as they were too busy gritting their teeth as their bodies were slammed with momentum, the scraping of the plane's underbelly filling their eardrums. Jackie didn't like getting his face squashed against Lysandre's jacket and could smell the stink of the river behind a veil of clean fabric. 

"Ow!" Someone shouted against the roar of the plane. 

Jackie thought he would become deaf as the shredding of metal blasted through his hands that were covering his ears. Peaking from the crook of Lysandre's arm, he could see Archie hug Sophie tightly while Maxie was holding Luna. 

The Magma leader made eye contact with Jackie and squinted at the boy, who quickly looked away, which was easy as everything was violently quaking. 

After what felt like hours, the plane skidded to a deafening halt, and everyone uncurled themselves, checking if everything was still attached to their bodies. Maxie fetched his glasses from under a seat, trying to detach the trembling Luna that suctioned to his body. 

"We need to get out of here," Ghetsis, clearly looking like he was smashed several times against a wall, snarled from the front of the plane. "Now." 

"What about the pilots?" Lysandre asked as he rose to shaky feet, helping Jackie stand up as well. He allowed the boy to leave first before grabbing Sophie from Archie. Cyrus rose to his own feet, refusing to get any help. 

"Never mind them," Ghetsis muttered. "Let's go." 

Everyone shuffled out of the plane and into the sand, where many Pokémon had fled in fear of getting destroyed by a crashing plane, which was smoking pointedly from somewhere underneath. 

"This isn't Hoenn," Archie said, disappointed as he looked at the shining ocean with a pained longing. He was carrying a very stony-faced Cyrus bridal style again. 

“It would be for the best,” Maxie grumbled, smearing a trickle of blood flowing out of his nose with his sleeve. “We probably would be gunned down the moment we’re recognized.” 

Lysandre’s jaw tightened at the remark, and his grip on Sophie tightened. Everyone understood there was a perfectly valid reason to be in such a foul mood. If that was possible, it got worse when the Plasma leader abruptly shouldered past him, looking at the group. 

"Be sure to thank me for saving all your sorry hides," Ghetsis snapped before he hobbled up the sandy bank, the grains sticking to the hem of his robes. Maxie wiped a bloody nose, looking around, thankful that Luna was starting to soften her grip and starting to climb off his torso. 

"Yeah, thanks," the Magma leader said coldly as his upper lip was becoming a ruby red, the flow worsening. 

"Are you ungrateful for what I have done?" 

"Guys," Lysandre snapped, holding Sophie to his chest. "I know where we can lay low." 

"This could be better," Cyrus said to the crowd. "Lysandre knows where we are. We can separate back to our original regions after we rest and heal." 

"Exactly," the Kalosion directed to the Galactic leader. "Just follow me." 

Bruised, tired, and famished, all five men slunk in the shadows as they started to approach the main city. There was a distant hum of a car that passed by, but not a lot of activity in their part of town. 

"Now," Lysandre instructed as he led the group, limping. He was getting noticeably paler the longer he was bleeding out. "I want all of you to lay low." They pushed through the bushes as they approached Lumiose City, the bright lights a majestic sight. "We can sneak through the back door of Lysandre's Labs, and I can have us—" Lysandre stood, his jaw dropping, as he saw a sign: “Sycamore's Labs” stuck on the wall of the great building. 

_"Sycamore's_ Labs?!" Lysandre said, aghast as if the building just gave a personal insult. Which, in a way, it did. 

"I'm sure there's a reason," Archie said from somewhere behind the Team Flare leader. He still seemed bummed they didn't land in Hoenn. "let's check it out." 

They approached the back door, which Maxie opened. Archie set Cyrus down, and all the leaders trotted inside, bringing the scent of blood with them. Ghetsis curled his lip at the interior design. 

"It's colder than I remember," Lysandre said as he guided everyone into the deeper rooms. 

"I'm sure the lack of blood in your system is contributing to your body's response to the temperature," Cyrus said tonelessly, walking reasonably well, given his injury. "Does this building have the ability to heal our Pokémon?" 

"I don't know," Lysandre admitted. "Everything has changed." 

"Enough time reminiscing," Ghetsis mumbled. "Let's grab what we need and go." 

Something about that sentence rubbed Lysandre the wrong way, and he turned on the spot, glaring at the Plasma leader. 

"If you want to go, leave now." 

Luna clung tighter to Lysandre, disliking the anger in his voice. 

"Let's not fight while we're so close to saying goodbye," Maxie groaned. "Lysandre is home, now. And we just need to recuperate before we leave on our own terms." 

"Fine," Ghetsis snarled, shooting Lysandre a threatening glare, which was immediately returned. 

"Let's get the children looked at first," Lysandre said, looking away from Ghetsis. The bright lights above made him look a ghostly pale. "I know where my office is." 

They followed Lysandre into the cramped elevator and ascended slowly before the doors dinged open, and they walked into a short hallway then to the door to an office. 

"Now, we can use my desk as a—" 

The door opened to reveal Sycamore, standing in shock. A cup of hot chocolate slipped from his fingers and shattered on the ground, splashing the liquid on everyone's shoes. 

"You!" Lysandre and Sycamore shouted at the same time. 

Archie had enough foresight to snatch Sophie from Lysandre's arms. 

Lysandre's voice rose, exclaiming, "What are you _doing_ here?!" 

"What am _I_ doing here?!" Sycamore asked defensively , his fingertips pressing on his chest before pointing to the Flare leader . "What are _you_ doing here?!" 

"This is _my_ lab!" 

“No it isn’t!” Sycamore eyes darted to each team member before locking on the children. "What are _they_ doing here?!" 

Had the situation not been so grave, Sycamore would have laughed when everyone pointed to Lysandre and said: "He did it!" 

"These children need medical care!" Lysandre called from the group, stepping forward. Sycamore noticed his eyes squeezed in pain when he walked, but the moment of vulnerability gone as soon as it came. 

"Oh, no," Sycamore rejected, raising his hands defensively and shaking his head. "I'm not getting involved with your illegal affairs." 

"Are you insinuating we deliberately hurt these children?" 

"Yes." 

Lysandre shot Ghetsis a nasty glare. 

"Care to answer that, Ghetsis?" 

"Why are you here?" Sycamore repeated, this time with a threatening tone in his voice. 

"Sycamore," Lysandre said softly. "Please understand that we're just here to heal. We don't want to hurt you." 

"Then you must understand that I need to report all of you." 

"There needs to have a treaty," Archie spoke up. "We do not hurt you and use this place, and you do not turn us in." 

"That is good," Ghetsis said bitterly. "If you want to rely on only words and breakable promises." 

"I need you to give me the children, then," Sycamore said firmly, looking at Luna, who was hiding behind Lysandre's legs. 

"We can do that," Cyrus said, surprising everyone in the room. "Let them to the professor. Then, we leave for our respective regions, and he can return the children." 

Jackie had to admit that Cyrus was right; it was perfectly logical to do what he just said. 

"But how will we make sure—" Archie said, before leaning over and mumbling, "—what's your name again?" 

"Sycamore," the professor answered, his fingers delicately enclosed on his beloved Garchomp's Pokéball. He kept staring at the blood that congealed in Archie’s beard, extremely uneasy. "Augustine Sycamore." 

"How will we make sure Augustine won't go back on his word?" Archie continued his question. "After all, we don't want to be sent back after we escaped the police. What if Augustine undoes our hard work?" 

Ghetsis twitched slightly, his one eye changing to an enraged glare. 

" Our hard work? _Our?!"_

Sycamore looked extremely uncomfortable at the Plasma leader's outburst, fully wrapping his hand around the Pokéball as he stepped back, surprised to feel himself pressing up against the wall already. 

"Ghetsis," Cyrus said. "Now is not the time—" 

_"Silence!_ Who was the one who talked with you, Cyrus, to stop the Ultra Wormhole experiments and just go to the airport?" Ghetsis shouted bitterly, his voice rising with his temper. "Who wasted time in was helping Lysandre walk again so he can leave?!" 

"Ghetsis—" Lysandre began, but Ghetsis rounded on the Kalosian before he could utter another word. 

_"Who_ was the one who trusted _me_ with Luna?!" 

Lysandre's lips turned to a fine line as the Plasma leader rounded on everyone, making the children duck behind the adults in fear. 

"Who saved _your_ —" he aggressively pointed to Lysandre, who felt Luna tighten her grip around his leg. "Sorry hide from literal death by helping you escape the mansion ?!" Without warning, he slammed his cane down, making the floor tremble before shouting at the top of his lungs. "WHO FOUGHT THE LEADER OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS AND WON?!! WHO SPARED HUNTER'S LIFE BECAUSE THE AUTHOR DIDN'T HAVE THE COURAGE TO KILL HIM OFF?!!! WHO DESTROYED THE TEAM ATTACKING US TO SPARE US THE TIME?!! WHO SAVED ALL OF YOU AT THE AIRPORT _AND_ FLEW US AWAY FROM HERE?!" 

"Where are you going with this?" Cyrus asked, folding his arms in the brief and extremely uncomfortable silence that followed. 

Without warning, the Plasma leader body slammed Sycamore into the wall, making the picture frames (full of articles of Sycamore stopping Lysandre's machine and throned as Kalo's hero) to shudder and one to fall, the glass cracking. Sycamore held Ghetis's arm back that was pushed against his throat, wondering if he would be able to summon his Garchomp. 

Cyrus noticed Lysandre flinch but said nothing, turning his gaze back at the two who were against the wall. 

"I AM NOT GOING TO HAVE ALL MY HARD WORK GET UNDONE BY SOME SELF-RIGHTEOUS TWINK—" 

_"Hey!"_ Sycamore shouted angrily back, shoving Ghetsis away. 

Ghetsis grabbed the front of Sycamore's shirt, pulling him forward before slamming him against the wall again, then threw the professor to the ground. Sycamore quickly stood up to find himself staring down the end of a very dangerous Glock and froze, his pupils constricting as his breath hitched. 

"Ghetsis, please don't," Lysandre groaned, looking deathly pale. 

"We need him to keep his mouth shut, don't we?" Ghetsis scoffed, giving the Kalosian an infuriating smirk. Lysandre’s jaw clenched tighter as he saw the distressed expression on Sycamore’s face. 

The professor slowly raised his hands above his head as Ghetsis came closer. 

"Say one word to _anybody,"_ Ghetsis hissed in Sycamore's ear. "And I will not hesitate to end your miserable life." 

"It's not my life I'm worried about," Sycamore said bravely, his eyes flicking to where the children were standing. A second later, he looked back at Ghetsis, his stomach dropping when he realized Ghetsis was watching where Sycamore was looking, and the Plasma leader gave a gnarled smirk. 

"That's good to know," Ghetsis said smugly, pulling back and looking around. "Now, where can we heal our Pokémon?" 

"You can't heal them here," Sycamore said quickly. Too quickly, he realized with a silent exhale. "You need to take them to a Pokécenter." 

"Take them to a Pokécenter, then," Ghetsis snarled, the gun's metallic shine poking out of his robes. 

"I can't do that," Sycamore defended. 

"And why not?" Maxie asked, stepping forward. 

"Well, wouldn't you find it extremely suspicious if one of the most currently famous man of Kalos just wanders in a Pokécenter with every Pokémon of the six team members?" 

"Count again," Maxie said to the professor. 

"Hey, where's the one to Rocket?" 

He heard a growl coming from Lysandre. 

"He left us," Cyrus answered. 

"Why don't you go to the airport now? It worked this far." 

"Luck hasn’t been on our side for traveling,” Archie spoke up. 

“We escaped the cops and left Alolah,” Ghetsis scoffed. “After all, _I_ hijacked us a plane.” 

“You crashed it.” 

It looked like the Plasma leader was about to lash out irrationally again, but a moment of unlucky luck struck the room as Lysandre's eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he collapsed heavily, nearly crushing Cyrus. The end of his pant leg was soaked with a crimson sheen, and Luna hurried to his side. 

Sycamore hurried over without a second thought, ignoring the death threats of Ghetsis. 

Cyrus glowered at the sight before his face hardened into an unreadable mask. 

"What's wrong with him?" 

"He got slashed in the leg," Archie answered. "I guess it started bleeding again." 

"Slashed in the leg?" Sycamore said, looking at the team members before clenching his jaw. 

"Not from us," Maxie said, reading Sycamore's angered expression. "Giovanni's cat did the wound. He and Lysandre didn't get along very well, maybe more so than him and Ghetsis." 

"That's a lie," Archie mumbled before getting elbowed in the ribs by Maxie when Luna started crying, pressing against Lysandre's backside as if that would do anything. 

"Please help him," she hardly whispered to Sycamore. She was looking at the professor like a scared Pokémon. 

Sycamore saw that face so many times when a Pokémon was hurt, and it reminded him of his Gible when she was skittish around him. Despite getting his hand bitten, he was calm and didn't get mad; maybe this was another one of those instances. It'll hurt much more now, but the result would be much better when the pain went away. 

He realized he was staring for a relatively long time, pulling out of his thoughts. 

"Don't just stand there!" Sycamore barked. "In the cabinet against the wall! There are medical supplies! Hurry!" 

Cyrus felt himself slipping again while Archie was the one who was doing the majority of the help. 

From what he gathered, Lysandre knew Sycamore, but the chemistry between them had shattered when Lysandre fired a weapon. But even here, when they were raising hackles at each other, there still was a care that Sycamore showed when his friend was injured. 

But that didn't make sense. 

He masked his face again, his body crumpling away the useless emotion trying to rise in his chest with ease. Then he saw Luna, worriedly leaning against the Kalosian and watching Sycamore quickly tend to the wound. That girl held so much care and compassion, even to those who she hardly knew. Cyrus noiselessly huffed as he knew she and her siblings would be crushed in the real world for having those pointless emotions. 

After all, it was Jackie who shouted in anger and made the bounty hunters find them. And not to mention Lysandre's emotions that moved him to get the children in the first place. He stared at the girl, knowing that she would never understand what it meant to be utterly void of emotions and the distress they cause. 

"Who else is injured?" Sycamore asked as he pressed a towel against the wound, stemming the flow. 

"Sophie is," Cyrus said, once more, surprising everyone. 

"I'll see what I can do." 

*** 

"It looks like you're all better," Archie said as Sophie stood up. 

"My head hurts," she whined, hoping to be held as she opened her arms to Archie. 

"Yeah, well, that's a minor side effect." 

Cyrus was busy in a separate, smaller room to nurse the laceration in his thigh, which everyone left alone. They never liked walking in on him, and _especially_ now, when he quite literally had his pants down. 

Archie had treated Sophie, who, fortunately, didn't have any complications aside from a concussion. He had an ice pack to give to the girl for her bruise. 

After examining the children, which Jackie refused to have them take any clothes off him or his siblings; he deemed Jackie was in good condition while deciding that Luna needed extra vitamins to keep healthy. Then Sycamore let them play with the young Pokémon in the other room. 

Sycamore, held at gunpoint, then made everyone a meal of spaghetti, thankful he had just enough to feed a starving team and their non-biological accidentally-kidnapped children. He allowed them all to pick futons to sleep on, hoping literally _anyone_ would have any need to visit him and see that he was held as a hostage. Granted, he wasn't bound and gagged, thankfully, but it was incredibly unnerving to have a Glock waved in his face or pressed into his spine every time he moved or spoke up. 

There was a washroom, that everyone used to clean themselves. Archie took a while, as he had to scrub the crusty blood from his beard, and emerged with a soaked front, his beard dripping like a dark stalactite. When Ghetsis had left the room, Sycamore slipped into the room Lysandre was in, laying on a futon in the middle of the floor. It looked like his bleeding had stopped, and he walked over to the mighty Kalosian. 

* * *

Ghetsis smirked, turning away from the door where he covertly watched the professor leave for the other room. 

"It seems the professor is in the other room." 

"So?" Maxie asked, throwing away a wadded tissue that was used to mop the slowing blood from his nose. 

"So, I need someone to keep an eye on him at night." 

Maxie raised an eyebrow. 

"Don't give me that stupid look," Ghetsis growled, turning to Cyrus, who was examining the room around him. "You! Cyrus! Go on and take watch! Keep an eye on the twink for me." 

The Galactic leader seemed to be briefly mulling it over before Ghetsis hobbled over, slamming the Glock into Cyrus's chest, forcing him to grab it. 

"Don't be afraid to threaten him." 

* * *

"Oh, good, you're awake," Sycamore said, walking into the room. 

"What.... what happened?" 

Lysandre slowly sat up; his face still pale. 

"You passed out," Sycamore explained. "And everyone is taking my lab as camp." 

"I hurt all over," Lysandre hissed to himself before rising to shaky feet, stumbling. 

"I actually didn't get a chance to fix your leg, but I rather just stopped the bleeding." 

"How are the children?" 

"Good. I have them in my office and away from the bosses." 

"Archie and Maxie will help them. I'm not sure about Cyrus and _definitely_ not Ghetsis. Not anymore." 

The two were silent, refusing to bring up anything else. 

"I need to go see if they're all okay," Lysandre said. 

"I checked up on them. They're safe." 

"I need to see them, though." 

"Don't you trust me?" Sycamore blurted, immediately feeling his gut shrink as the awkwardness filled the room and clogged the air. Obviously, there was no trust to be held between the two, even if it was Lysandre that shattered it. 

"Why are we still talking?" Lysandre asked with a hint of coldness that Sycamore detected. 

Sycamore shrugged, speaking after a while. 

"Everyone is patched up." 

“Even the kids?" 

"They were the first." 

Lysandre gave a slow nod. 

"I didn't know you care for them so much." 

"Neither did I." 

Another awkward silence gripped the room. 

"I need to rewrap your leg," Sycamore said, horribly trying to hold the conversation, trying to do anything but go back to where that insane Ghetsis was. 

"I'm fine." 

"You passed out." 

Lysandre went silent. 

"Please, Lysandre, let me help." 

"Why?" 

"I can still be compassionate despite what happened. Besides, you need to be able to move and protect the children. What would you do if one of them gets hurt, but you can't walk? Why don’t you leave them here, instead?" 

Lysandre clenched his jaw and exhaled slowly. He did want the children safe, yes. But he didn’t want to leave them. Perhaps never. 

"Fine. I'll do whatever I can to heal myself." 

"Where else did you get hurt other than your leg?" 

Lysandre glowered at the professor, visioning himself getting smashed against a boulder, tightly holding Luna as the river fought them. 

"My side and back," he said coldly. 

Sycamore wondered if it would have been more comfortable to be in the other room and given death threats every additional minute while being glared at by everybody than to stay in the same place as Lysandre. 

*** 

Lysandre was lying on the futon, glaring at everything, as Sycamore was busy examining the damaged leg. Lysandre had to take his clothes off, save for his undergarments. The professor regretted telling the proud Kalosian to do this, as he saw just how many bruises the man had to suffer with as it stained his skin and were littered with scabs. Fortunately, Sycamore had a soothing ointment for the enflamed skin and decided to rub the cream on the bruises. Whenever asked, the professor deliberately avoided saying just precisely how bad they looked, as they coated Lysandre's entire backside with a prune-colored mass, yellowing on the edges. 

"Uh, just a bruise," Sycamore would answer. Then proceeded to empty the entire jar. 

He then tightly wrapped the exposed flesh of Lysandre's calf, leaning back to look at his handiwork. 

"There. The bandages will help stop any infections." 

Lysandre didn't say anything as he stood up, dressed, and bumped past Sycamore, leaving the professor alone in his office. 

* * *

“I’m hungry,” Sophie said as she walked in on Sycamore who was nervously throwing away his cell phone into a trash bin as Ghetsis was the one forcing him to do so. “Are you hurting him?” 

“Well—” Sycamore began, instantly growing quiet as Ghestis pressed the Glock into Sycamore’s side. 

“No, he’s fine,” the Plasma leader answered. 

“Let’s see,” Jackie said as he stood in the corner. “Archie, Maxie, Cyrus, Lysandre, Ghetsis, and now, you. There’s too many people to keep track of.” 

“Not for long,” Archie said. “We can go home real soon.” 

“It’s taking too long,” Maxie huffed, holding a rolled-up newspaper in his hand. 

“It’s only been one night,” Cyrus responded. “A lot of us are still recovering from everything that happened.” 

Archie and Maxie looked over to Lysandre, who was silently brooding against the wall as Luna hovered around his legs. 

“It shouldn’t take too long to recover here,” Archie continued. “We all can leave on our own terms. In fact, we should leave now if we can, Maxie.” 

They shared a look knowing that Luna, Jackie, and Sophie would probably end up with one foot in the grave the second the two left with Ghetsis around. Lysandre already had his own foot ready. What good would he be against an insane cult leader? 

“I would appreciate that,” Sycamore said from the corner as Ghetsis was patting him down with a single hand. Apparently, the Plasma leader had the need to do this every other hour, even waking Sycamore early in the morning before sunrise with a swift kick to the ribs. 

Sycamore supposed Ghetsis was doing this to prove his superiority, but didn’t feel the need to ask. 

“What’s this?” Ghetsis asked, snaking his hand into Sycamore’s lab coat’s pocket and retrieving a Holo Caster. Lysandre’s gaze flicked to Sycamore’s expression, which, judging by how genuine it was, shown that he completely forgot the device was even on his person. 

“Let me see that,” Lysandre said with a slight tone of urgency. 

“What is it?” Ghetsis asked as he lifted it to the light, ignoring the professor’s pleas as he reached for it. 

“It can help us track down Giovanni.” 

“It can?” 

“Yes.” Lysandre rolled his eyes. 

“What is it?” Ghetsis repeated, holding it in one hand, while the other was hidden in his robes, which Sycamore supposed was holding the gun. 

“It’s a Holo Caster,” Lysandre answered. “Let me see it.” 

He pushed away from the wall as Ghetsis clutched the Holo Caster to his chest. 

“Just give me the stupid device, Ghetsis,” Lysandre said through a fatigue-coated voice. 

“Finding Giovanni is not our top priority,” the Plasma leader countered. “And the less things this twig of a man has that can contact anyone, the better.” 

Lysandre rubbed his temple with his thumb, hiding his face with his fingers. “Pour l'amour d'Arceus...” 

Luna patted his shin sympathetically. 

“We should at least have it on us,” Archie reasoned. “Maybe it can help us.” 

“Lysandre,” Ghetsis snapped. “Didn’t you say we can track down Giovanni?” 

The Flare leader knew he cornered himself by spilling needless information; he had blurted out the words for his personal hatred to the mafia leader. 

“Then that means we shouldn’t keep it,” Ghetsis answered to the silence. “We can’t risk getting traced.” 

He let the Holo Caster slip from his fingers and clatter onto the floor, before it was speared in the middle by a sword, creating the glass screen to shatter and sparks to bleed out. 

“Now, people will _really_ think something’s wrong with me!” Sycamore gasped, staring at the shattered remains of the device. 

“Someone, go and put a sign on the door and say the lab’s closed or something,” Ghetsis growled as his eye scanned the group. 

Sycamore shifted his feet. 

“When will you all be leaving, exactly?” 

“I’ll probably go with someone else,” Lysandre grumbled. “Live in Hoenn or something.” 

“Great idea!” Archie forcibly chortled. “You can live with us and forget that you betrayed your region and your best friend probably hates you! We’ll be the three musketeers!” 

If Lysandre’s lips could go thinner, they did. 

“What about us?” Jackie asked. 

“Well, we should leave you here while we leave,” Archie continued, looking down to the boy. 

“Do we have to say goodbye?” Sophie asked. 

“Yes,” Ghetsis answered immediately, glaring at her. 

“It’ll be okay, children,” Sycamore reassured. “You’ll be home, soon. Won’t that be nice?” 

“I want to go home, now,” Jackie admitted. 

“That may be an issue,” Maxie said as he looked up from the newspaper, throwing it to Archie, who skimmed the article before throwing it like a frisbee to Cyrus. Cyrus caught it, but whatever was written only caused a slight raise of his supposed eyebrows. 

“What does it say?” Jackie asked anxiously as the paper was handed around the adults. Lysandre received it and his bad mood just stayed smoldering as he looked down to Jackie. 

“Your mother’s missing,” Lysandre said in a deep, throaty growl. Luna hugged his leg tightly. 

“What?!” 

Jackie snatched the paper and looked at the article. 

“Charette Suzuki, the biological mother of Jackie, Sophie, and step-mother to Luna Mizuki, has been found missing from her house around five twenty-six in the morning. There are signs of a struggle, but there are no traces of where she could have gone. Teams have been formed to search...” 

And the article melted into statistics and locations and words that Jackie didn’t care for. His hands felt cold when he handed the paper back to whoever was closest, feeling his stomach disappear. 

“What now?” 

“I guess I can keep them here?” Sycamore suggested. 

“The sooner they’re gone, the better,” Ghetsis sneered. “I could care less on what happens to them.” 

“Nobody asked,” Lysandre snapped. 

The tension in the air solidified into ice but shattered as soon as Archie broke it by coughing loudly. 

“We just need to leave as soon as we can,” he boomed. “Let’s stick to the plan, alright?” 

* * *

“This isn’t working,” Archie mumbled as he walked into the large room where Maxie was reading a new newspaper. Lysandre was brooding in the corner, still, and Ghetsis was once again sniffing around to find anything of value to the professor. “We need a new plan,” 

“You already took my Pokémon from me,” Sycamore growled. “What more do you want?” 

“Is Mom found?” Jackie asked as he flocked around Maxie, who smelled faintly of smoke as he poured a clear liquid into a mug, swirling it around before taking a long swig. 

“No.” 

“What do you think happened to her?” Sophie asked, poking her toast blandly. No one really seemed to have an appetite that day. While Sycamore did make meals, no one sat down together, and Cyrus and Lysandre refused to eat since the day they got there, although Sycamore did walk in on Lysandre nibbling on a something from the fridge, which gave Sycamore mixed feelings, mainly between relief and anger. 

Sycamore also had to comply with the note on the door, which said that the professor was extremely ill and had to avoid any visitors. With his Holo Caster destroyed, he had no choice but to comply with Ghetsis’s absurd commands. 

He noticed Lysandre’s jaw clenched whenever Ghetsis pulled out his Glock or whispered death threats into the professor’s ear, but had no need to address it. 

“What do you think happened to her?” Sophie repeated when the Maga leader ignored her question. 

“Kidnapped is my guess,” Maxie said in a careless tone as he read the paper, his top half hidden behind it. “Police say they found evidence of struggling, but nothing more. Judging by the lack of a mess, she was either knocked out or complied with the attacker’s wishes.” 

He flipped a page. 

“And they found two police tied to a tree. One male and one female.” 

“Why is that important?” Ghetsis snorted. 

“Because,” Maxie answered calmly. “Two Rocket grunts, Cassidy and Bill, have taken their uniforms and disguised themselves as the police.” 

“Are they alive?” Sophie squeaked. 

Maxie’s eyes appeared from the top of the paper, void of any emotions. 

“Hardly.” 

“I bet Giovanni had them take Charlotte,” Lysandre growled. 

“What purpose would she even be for Giovanni?” Archie asked. Everyone turned to look at him. 

“Think about it,” Maxie answered, nodding towards the innocent children as to why he didn’t give the answer. “Him. Her. Figure it out.” 

“Oh...” 

“That doesn’t make sense,” Cyrus added. “He would have no need to kidnap a woman when he has many more that he could select. He would know the police would be at her house, so why take someone so embedded with attention?” 

“Maybe it’s to exercise his power?” Archie asked. 

“Why would he still be in Kalos?” Lysandre asked from the corner, ignoring Luna taking refuge behind his legs, hiding from the other adults. 

“Maybe because the police will be searching for the whole team rather than one person?” Archie guessed. 

“But one thing doesn’t add up,” Lysandre said, watching Luna cling onto his good leg and causing his foot to go numb. “If Giovanni could care less if we’re stranded and even killed, why did he let us stay in the mansion in the first place?” 

“That’s... a good question,” Archie admitted, shrugging. 

Ghetsis’s eye narrowed, but he said nothing. 

Sycamore looked uncomfortable during the whole conversation. 

“Does that mean you’re going?” he asked sheepishly. 

The Plasma leader’s eye shined, and Maxie spoke from behind the paper, unaware of the danger zone everyone was in for Ghetsis’ wrath. 

“Hunter is recovering, but he’s most likely going to be blind. What did you do to him exactly, Ghetsis?” 

“Gouged his eyes out,” Ghetsis said calmly as if he was talking about a shopping list. “Snapped his leg. Jarred his throat. Broke his nose. Killed his Luxray. Not in that order.” 

Luna started to sniffle, using Lysandre’s legs as a wall. 

“You all have overstayed your welcome,” Sycamore said firmly. “You need to leave.” 

He was already nervous from the threats that surrounded him like water. Not to mention having the children who the police were looking for, and hosting safety to genocidal, sociopathic, insane criminals (more so on Ghetsis’s side). But the longer they stayed, the more antsy Sycamore found himself becoming. He jumped at small noises, grew angry over small things, and found his patience running thin. 

He kept the children in his office to sleep, and had to keep Luna from magnetizing to Lysandre’s side, even locking the door to keep the leaders out and the children in, just in case. 

“What did they do to you?” Sycamore would ask them. 

“Lysandre let us in and bathed us. Archie played with us. Ghetsis hates us.” 

But Sycamore noticed Luna wouldn’t say anything no matter what he tried. 

He did get her to speak, one night, when he brought an injured Eevee to his desk. Jackie and Sophie were asleep, but Luna didn’t seem tired. 

She seemed amazed at the small creature, and Sycamore let her pet it. 

“It’s so soft,” she said in a voice no louder than a whisper. “What’s wrong?” 

“She got hit by a speeding truck,” Sycamore almost said, but stopped himself in time to say, “She got injured.” 

He felt that saying anything other than that would frighten the poor girl. 

Luna looked at where Jackie and Sophie were curled up together on the futon they shared, before taking a small step to Sycamore. 

“You can name it, if you like,” Sycamore said gently. 

She looked at the small creature that was breathing slowly as it slept, her tiny paw wrapped in a splint. 

“I like Cyra.” 

“Cyra?” 

Luna nodded and stood on her toes to give a mild peck on Cyra’s dry nose. 

“So, Luna,” Sycamore said in a continually low tone, setting the Eevee on his desk. She followed behind like a lost puppy. “Lysandre let you in?” 

She nodded. 

“And bathed you?” 

Another nod. 

“Did he... get angry over anything you did?” 

She quickly shook her head. 

“Gio-van did.” 

“Giovanni did?” 

She nodded her head making her silver hair shimmer from the bright overhead light. 

“What about the others?” 

“Ghetsis is mean, but Cyrus let me sleep in his bed.” 

“Did he sleep in the same bed with you?” 

Sycamore was relieved to see her shake her head again. 

“Did anyone hurt you?” 

“No,” Luna said, before a memory flashed her mind. 

She was cold, and wanted to see Lysandre. It was late at night. But while his bed was empty, a figure was in the corner of his room. When her eyes adjusted to the dark, she saw Giovanni hunched over, before standing up slowly to clutch a device in his hands. 

“I knew I would find it,” he mumbled to himself before pocketing it. “Stupid Kalosian should have complied in the first place.” 

“That’s not yours,” Luna said as Giovanni emerged from the darkness and into the light. 

He smiled at her. Just the person he needed to see. 

After all, Lysandre went back on his word and told Archie and Maxie everything about the Persian’s attack. Now, it was time for punishment on the Flare leader. 

“Ah, Luna,” Giovanni said in a sly tone. “I’m not stealing it. Lysandre told me he could borrow it. After all, it can do amazing things. Let me show you.” 

He held his hand to her, smiling lightly. 

“Lysandre told me he wanted to show you, but he’s busy. He gave me permission to show you.” 

That sold it. If Lysandre said so, it was okay. 

She took his hand, and together they walked outside. Giovanni heard a loud crash from the kitchen as he was sliding the door shut. From the sound of it, someone ripped the phone off the wall. 

Luna and Giovanni strolled in the dreary weather, where fat raindrops would fall down heavily and knocked leaves off twigs. 

The river emerged in view from the broken spots of moonlight that would be hidden behind clouds that would blow away. 

Just as Luna looked up to Giovanni, everything went black. 

She awoke to cold water shocking her senses alive, and she was light enough to raise the current like a leaf before snagging onto a platform of rock. 

“Yes,” she retraced. 

"Who hurt you?” 

“Gio-van.” 

“What did he do?” 

“I don’t know. But I woke up in the river. I thought I would die.” 

“What happened?” 

“Lysandre swam over. He saved me.” 

“Lysandre saved you?” 

She nodded, watching Cyra’s fur slowly rise and fall the longer the Eevee slept. 

“How did he save you?” 

“He swam over, and I held onto him. Then we drowned.” 

“Drowned?” 

She nodded, hiding behind her curtain of glossy hair. 

“I couldn’t breathe, but Lysandre kissed me, and I had air again.” 

“And then what happened?” 

“I held onto him, and he kept me safe from a big rock—” _So, that explains the bruise,_ Sycamore thought. “And we went back on land.” 

“And then?” 

Luna tried to remember what happened in the dark clouds that fogged her memory. She was cold and wet, and exhaustion crushed her petite body. 

“I just remember clinging onto him, but he wasn’t breathing. I remember hearing Gio-van's voice. That’s all.” 

Sycamore looked down at the pale girl. 

He wanted to ask her everything that happened in the mansion, to figure out who did what and why. But it was extremely late, and he could see the dark spots forming under her eyes. 

“You need rest, Luna.” 

“But I’m not tired.” 

“Trust me, you are.” 

Luna started to pout; her bottom lip stuck out and tears filled her eyes. 

“It’s okay, Luna,” Sycamore soothed, opening his arms to her. “Let me tell you a bedtime story.” 

That seemed to do the trick, and she shuffled (painfully slow) to the professor, curling up into his embrace as he lifted her to his chest. He walked to his desk chair and leaned back, trying to remember a story his mother told him when he was a wee lad. 

Nothing entered his mind, as he was still heavily stressed about having criminal leaders camping in his lab. He was glad he locked the office door as he stared at it, knowing they could be prowling the hallways like Ghost-types. 

Ghetsis agreed to allow Sycamore stay in his office, but only after everyone combed the room for anything that the professor could use to signal the authorities. Sycamore knew he had a cell phone, and had decided to hid it in plain sight, but needed the right time to call for help. 

He stared at the door and thought of the whole situation he was in, and decided to invent a story of his own. 

“There once was a Garchomp, who was best friends with a Pyroar,” he began. “But the Pyroar was a vain, prideful creature and thought his fire was the most beautiful thing in the world. Deluded by this, he tried spreading his fire everywhere to make everything burn, because the Pyroar thought it was so pretty to burn everything to a crisp.” 

Luna gave him a curious stare. 

“But the Garchomp didn’t want that to happen, so he tried to reason with his friend. 

‘Pyroar, buddy,’ the Garchomp said. ‘Don’t do this. You’ll burn everyone.’ 

But the Pyroar was so prideful, that he thought his fire would be best if it was shared, and inhaled deeply before blowing the biggest, hottest, and scariest breath of fire that set the entire forest on fire.” 

“I don’t like this story...” 

“Garchomp watched the world burn around him, but he hurried to the river to where the Water-Type Pokémon were. 

‘Hey!’ he called to the Water-Types. ‘My idiot friend decided to destroy innocent Pokémon's homes because he thought his fire was just so darn pretty that he thought it would be a good idea to ruin what’s good for us all. Please help me put out the fire.’ 

So, everyone shot water onto the forest, stopping the flames. 

‘See?’ Garchomp asked Pyroar as he approached his friend. ‘Don’t you see that what you see is spreading beauty to you, is destroying the world for others?’” 

He craned his neck to see Luna was already asleep. 

"But Pyroar, who was a complete _jerkwad_ to his best friend, roared in anger and ran off, where he was immediately shot by poachers and his fur was used as a rug for some big-headed CEO to rest his feet on before the building was destroyed and everyone died inside. The end.” 

“I don’t like that ending,” Sophie mumbled from the corner. 

“I didn’t either. Go to bed.” 

* * *

Everyone crowded around Maxie to hear the report on Charlotte Mizuki; Jackie was trembling in anticipation. 

“Nothing,” Maxie announced. “They can’t find any leads, and the neighbors reported nothing suspicious.” 

“Did Hunter finally croak?” Ghetsis grumbled. 

“No, he’s alive and recovering slowly. There’s a picture, too.” 

“Can I see?” Sophie asked. 

“No.” 

Sycamore twiddled his thumbs, eyeing Lysandre as if he really _was_ a Pyroar. Luna was happy to cling to his legs again. 

“Are you guys leaving now?” 

“You and I can go, Maxie,” Archie said. “And Cyrus, nothing’s stopping you. Ghetsis—” the Plasma leader glared at the pirate with a single-eyed Mean Look. “—Yeah, you should have already been gone.” 

“What about the children?” Lysandre asked. 

“What about them?” Cyrus responded. “They can stay with the professor. It’s time to leave, now that everyone’s properly recovered.” 

“Who will you be joining, Lysandre?” Maxie asked as he shut the newspaper, setting it on the counter. 

“I guess you and Archie.” 

“So... this is goodbye?” Jackie asked. “What about Mom?” 

“Who cares?” Ghetsis snapped back before rounding on the professor. “Drive us to the airport, twink.” 

“Okay, you got to stop calling me that,” Sycamore growled. “Besides, your faces are literally _everywhere_ a screen is. How will I even drive you... anywhere ? Not only will people instantly recognize me, but they will _definitely_ recognize you.” 

“We could dress as the world’s ugliest women,” Archie suggested. 

“Archie,” Maxie said in disgust. “Seppuku would less painful.” 

“I guess we’re stuck here.” 

“I choose my idea,” Maxie volunteered. 

“No,” Lysandre said. “We had a plan, let’s follow through. We decided from the beginning we would stay our separate ways after we recovered. We recovered—” 

“Your leg is still injured, though,” Sycamore cut in. He was angry to feel relief seeing the skin starting to grow on the calf whenever he stole a peek on the damaged flesh when he walked past the door and Lysandre was dressing the wound. 

“It’s a lot better than before,” Lysandre countered with an irritable snap. 

“Archie, where’s your pirate sword?” Maxie asked from the corner of his mouth. 

“Maxie, no.” 

Needless to say, the rest of the day was filled with arguments and unfilled plans. 

Ghetsis believed that Sycamore could chauffer everyone to the airport. Sycamore argued that it was impossible to do so since literally, it would be impossible to _not_ recognize anyone in the group. Archie was bent that they could pass off as women, and no one agreed to Archie’s idea. Maxie was fine with committing seppuku and immediately drained his entire flask during the entire argument in one move. Cyrus was fine with sticking to the plan of leaving to the airport and leaving the children to the lab, while Lysandre was quiet the entire time. 

Nightfall was starting to rise long after the debate started, and it was decided that everyone would stay at the lab, while one at a time, Sycamore would carefully smuggle everyone out and hidden from the police. 

How would he do it? Ghetsis claimed that it was “his problem,” but he needed to do it soon. Sycamore felt extremely cheated, but knew better than to shout back at a deranged killer wielding a gun. Feeling genuinely fearful for his life, Sycamore tucked the children to bed, ready to use his hidden cell phone. 

“I’m not tired,” Luna mumbled as she followed the professor behind. Cyra was in the room that the Pokémon played in, which was locked (just in case). 

“You need to sleep,” Sycamore grumbled, ready for help to arrive. 

“Can you tell me a story again?” 

Sycamore, once again, allowed her to crawl onto his lap and lean into his chest as he thought of a new story. 

“Once upon a time, there was a very pig-headed man named Ghetsis.” 

“Can you tell me the story about the Pyroar and the Garchomp?” Luna quietly interrupted. 

“Alright... once upon a time, the two friends, Pyroar and Garchomp, lived together in a forest. Now, the Pyroar, as you know, was extremely proud of himself and thought his fire was the most beautiful thing to ever be seen. Garchomp, didn’t want Pyroar to hurt anyone with his flames, and told his friend to practice by the river. 

‘No,’ said the Pyroar. ‘I want everyone to see my majestic flames.’ 

‘But you’ll hurt so many Pokémon,’ Garchomp reasoned. 

But Pyroar didn’t care what his friend said, and put on a big performance in the forest. But he accidently burned a little baby Tediursa, who started to cry. Garchomp hurried to help the little bear as Pyroar was upset for what he had done, and ran away. 

Garchomp followed his friend, to find the lion in a cave. 

‘My dear friend,’ the Garchomp said. ‘Why do you hide?’ 

‘I regret my actions, Garchomp. I burned an innocent child.’ 

‘Are you truly sorry for what you’ve done?’ 

‘I am.’ 

And Garchomp revealed the Tediursa, who hugged the Pyroar. 

‘It’s okay,’ the bear said. ‘I forgive you. Even if you hurt me.’” 

Sycamore had no idea where he was going with the story, and saw that Luna was curled to his chest, asleep. The professor gently laid her down on the futon with her brother and sister, before walking to the corner of his office. There was a loose floorboard, where he pulled a cell phone from it. 

* * *

It was dark in the lab as Sycamore navigated through it. He saw the leaders camping on their own futons in the big room, and quietly walked outside. He didn’t see Lysandre’s eyes open in the dark. 

He slipped out the back door, stopping in the middle of the grass. 

He _could_ leave, but he already did what was needed to be done after telling Luna his horrible impromptu story. Even if he did run for someone, the leaders would see that he left and would be long gone before help arrived. 

Despite wearing a long-sleeved shirt, the coldness was rubbing at his skin. 

Sycamore tried to ignore the fact of his life was in danger as he sat down on the grass, resting his knees to his chin. The stars were in the sky, slowly flickering in the canvas of black. He heard the door open and footsteps coming closer, crunching the grass. 

Lysandre didn't say anything as he walked to Sycamore's side, sitting down. Sycamore decided that he should hate Lysandre with every fiber of his being. 

_He ruined so many things. I cannot trust him._

But another part of him, a tiny, doubtful part of him, wondered if Lysandre really had changed. 

_Of course not. He was with Giovanni in Rainbow Rocket. He didn't try to stop him._

He can never trust the Kalosian. 

_Then why did I help him when he collapsed?_

Anger flickered in Sycamore's heart when he should have just left Lysandre to bleed out. He shouldn't have talked to him alone, and he _definitely_ should not have treated his bruises. 

_Why didn't I just say, "Everyone, leave, now, and keep the children here?"_

He should have summoned his Garchomp and attacked them all, as they mentioned their Pokémon were defeated and weak. Then shut the door and locked it. 

But all anger vanished in resentful curiosity when Lysandre spoke; his voice was soft in the night as the two stared at the sky. 

"What happened, Sycamore?" 

Sycamore didn't need to ask what Lysandre was referring to. 

"Well, when you revealed your intentions, right when you pressed the button for the purge of Kalos, you just... vanished. Like a bright like came over you and you were gone. I used the split second to diffuse your machine, which, fortunately, was easier than I thought. No one knew what happened, except that you were gone, and Kalos was saved. It was later on in the news did I see you, doing your criminal things with Giovanni." 

"So, you saved Kalos," Lysandre summarized, chuckling hollowly. "All my hard work just was ruined." 

Sycamore hugged his knees tighter to his chest. 

"I guess you could say that." 

"I must look like a horrible person, then." 

Sycamore didn't say anything for a while, then spoke up as the sky grew darker. 

"One thing doesn't connect, though," Sycamore said. Lysandre looked away from the stars to look at the professor. "Why did you help the children?" 

"I really don't know," Lysandre sighed, propping himself onto the palms of his hands as he leaned back. "I guess I felt bad for them." 

"You felt bad for the kids but didn't bat an eye when you wanted to purge Kalos and end so many people's lives?" 

It was Lysandre's turn to go silent, dipping the two into a still night. 

"I don't think you understand that just because you don't know someone personally, doesn't mean you can hurt them," Sycamore continued. Lysandre still didn't say anything as the two sat in silence, letting the world slowly drop in warmth and light. 

"I should apologize for everything that I have done," Lysandre said. 

"I don't think the public is ready to see you again." 

"Not to the public. To you." 

"Me?" Sycamore was genuinely shocked, raising his eyebrows slightly. 

"For everything I put you through." 

Sycamore bundled himself tighter as a small chill brushed through the grass, letting Lysandre continue. 

"All the trust you developed. The emotional toll you had to pay. The stress and pain... I made you feel so much." 

"What happened to you, Lysandre?" 

Lysandre sighed. 

"I wanted things in my own vision." 

"It's weird, Lysandre," Sycamore said quietly. "It took you this long to see with opened eyes." 

The two sat in silence, and Sycamore hugged himself tighter. 

"I'm cold." 

Lysandre stood up, looking down at the professor. 

"You're always cold," the team Flare leader said with a condescending snap. Sycamore flinched slightly, scrunching himself up tightly. 

Just as he thought Lysandre would always stay an enemy, the professor felt something warm and heavy drape onto his shoulders, relieving his body from the cold. 

Lysandre spoke in a genuinely caring voice as he gently blanketed Sycamore with his jacket. 

"But I'll be damned if you weren't my friend." 

Sycamore felt a tear run down his cheek as he was left alone in the starry night. 

* * *

Cyrus was watching the stars, seeing how they seemed dimmer in Kalos with the light pollution. The sun would start to break in the horizon in about an hour, but he doubted it wouldn't be as colorful as the ones on the beach of Sunnyshore. 

He could see a car pulling up from across the street, stopping smoothly. Out came a man in all black, but the badge was gleaming. Cyrus narrowed his eyes as he saw the official speak to a handset. Another car parked in a dark alley, and another uniformed person emerged. He saw Officer Jenny appear from her own vehicle, and the Galactic leader quickly retreated to the window. 

He shook Archie awake, who rolled on his side, tucking the sheet higher to his chin. 

"Mmm... five more minutes." 

"Archie," Cyrus said. "The police found us. We need to go." 

"Who did what now?" Archie mumbled, sitting up. Cyrus wondered why the pirate wore his bandana even in his sleep. 

"We have been spotted," Cyrus repeated. "We need to leave." 

"We have?" Archie spoke though a grumbled, sleep-encrusted cough. 

"What's wrong?" Maxie asked, sitting up from his own futon that was suspiciously close to Archie's. Cyrus could see the middle of their spines could touch if they both balled up. 

"We need to flee," Archie said quickly. 

"Should we even awake Ghetsis?" 

*** 

The sun wasn't even rising when Lysandre was awakened by violent shaking on his shoulder. 

"Wake up!" 

"Wassrong?" 

"We need to flee! We have been sold out!" 

"What?" Lysandre, as much as he wanted to scrunch up tighter and just be left alone, jumped to his feet, his mind slowly sharpening his memory of everything that happened. 

"Yeah!" 

"Get everyone downstairs; I'll get the children." 

Archie didn't listen to Lysandre and followed him to Sycamore's office, which Lysandre aggressively slammed open the door, where a very guilty looking Sycamore was standing in the middle. Archie went for the children, who were huddled in the corner. 

_"You!"_ Lysandre snarled, advancing on the professor, who was backed to his desk, gripping the edge. Sycamore squared his chest, although there was fear in his eyes. 

"What did you _expect?!_ None of you were leaving! And I couldn't let Ghetsis continue to walk all over me! You all needed to leave!” 

"We wouldn’t hurt you, and you kept us hidden! You betrayed us!" 

“I betrayed you? _I betrayed you?!_ You're the one who literally almost succeeded in committing genocide to all the good people of Kalos!" 

Lysandre leaned into the professor, their faces inches away. As much confidence Sycamore tried to pull up to shield himself, Lysandre's cold, glaring eyes sliced through all defenses. 

"Not everyone is good, Sycamore. I can't believe you still think that." 

Lysandre pushed Sycamore down onto the desk, making files topple off and papers to slide away, before turning his back and following Archie out the door. 

Sycamore rubbed his shoulders where Lysandre's hands were, knowing they would bruise. 

"I know everyone's not good," Sycamore mumbled to himself. "That's why they need guidance." 

* * *

_"Why_ didn't we take a car?!" Archie gasped as the group hurried down a dark alley. 

“Shush!” Ghetsis snarled. 

"I feel like we're going to get mugged the more alleys we take," Maxie grumbled. 

"We're going to get mugged?" Jackie whimpered. Everyone looked at Jackie and knew that anyone with any common sense would avoid a group of five adult men scuttling in dark allies. 

"No." 

"Where do we go now?" 

"Hoenn. Sinnoh. Johto. Anywhere but here," Lysandre said coldly. "You all can go to the airport. I'll just join someone and live in their hideout until I die." 

“Whose bright idea was it to take the kids?" Ghetsis growled. "We should have left them with that twink—" 

"Stop calling him that!" Lysandre snapped, pretty sick of everyone at this point. He just wanted to go home and sleep until he stopped breathing. 

“You two were pretty close, weren't you?" Sophie asked, somewhere from Archie's chest. "Like Uncle Archie and Maxie?" 

"Not as close, but we were good friends." 

Everyone jumped when something clanged against the street, to realize someone unintentionally kicked an empty can. 

"Ghetsis has a point; why didn't we leave them?" Maxie spoke up. 

"They would have been safer there," Cyrus pointed out. 

That was entirely true, but Lysandre refused to admit it. 

Yes, they would have been safe, yes, they would have been sent home, yes, it made the traveling load significantly lighter, yes, the team would have less to worry about. 

But he didn't want to leave them. Especially not in Kalos, and especially not with Augustine, who would undoubtedly have the children fed inaccuracies about himself and turn them against him when the team needed them to be alibis. 

Maybe it was because they trusted him. Just as Kalos trusted him. 

Before he caused so much chaos. 

He looked at the same starry night that he and Sycamore watched together, and vowed upon his life to never lose those children. Not now, not ever. 


	9. One by land, Nine by Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever seen Mad Max: Fury Road? This made me think of that where everyone literally backtracks everything halfway into the movie. But instead of sick, cool cars and explosions, it's a giant boat.  
> Lysandre and Ghetsis's hatred continues. Jackie has plans for his own. Cyrus is just dragged along.  
> But don't you all hate it when the quietest person vanishes and no one notices?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important to know!  
> Bounty hunters, in fact, do NOT charge at people armed to the teeth and shoot willy-nilly like they do in RDR2. If it involves children, they actually cannot bring even mace for defense.  
> That being said, Cyrus's and Ghetsis's injuries DO NOT exist!  
> I will have to alter the other chapters to align it here, but, keep in mind, that Hunter broke protocol and brought his Glock (which Ghetsis currently has). But, since bounty hunters cannot do that, Chief Harlow/everyone else does not know he brought it. 
> 
> Also, shoutout to Petrolheadgirl1 for keeping my writing consistent and making me not have it go on crack, and patiently proofreading my garbage XD.  
> Also also! I have zero knowledge of ships, but I imagine the regular freighter merged with the boat in Man of Medan, for some reason. 
> 
> I plan on re-editing this chapter after I sleep.
> 
> Okay, I think that's everything. Enjoy!

"Whose idea was this?" 

Of course, no one answered as everyone was sitting around the pitiful campfire that illuminated the back of the cave that reflected a bitter cold from the stones. 

"I'm hungry," Sophie mumbled sleepily against Archie's side, who was sitting up against a boulder. 

Jackie was whimpering softly in the darkness as he shivered, sniffling. There were tear stains that ran down his cheeks while his eyes were red and wet. 

"I say we go to Hoenn," Archie suggested. "We can stay there, and I'm sure no one will find us." 

"They know we're in Kalos," Lysandre grumbled. "They'll be watching the skies like Talonflames." 

"I'm surprised they aren't on our tails like the police were in Alola." 

"They'll probably beat us with baguettes when we do," Maxie sighed, laying on his back with his hands behind his head. His stomach gave a slight growl when he mentioned food. 

"They'll probably have swords hidden in them," Ghetsis snapped. "We need to take over Kalos, kill their king, and destroy any rebellion." 

"Those do exist," Lysandre cut in. "And Kalos's government has changed since—" 

"Baguette swords exist?" Archie gasped, looking over from his boulder. 

Lysandre sighed, scooting closer to the fire, feeling Luna tighten her grip on his side. 

"It's too hot," was all she said. Lysandre scooted back some, feeling the cold against the back of his neck. "I'm cold." 

He gave a silent sigh. 

"We need a way to escape," Maxie said from his spot. "If the Kalos police find us, they'll return us back to Alola to await trials." 

"Wouldn't they send each one of us to our home regions for trial?" Cyrus asked. 

"They'll probably skip any hearing and send us straight to some prison in the middle of the sea." 

Archie gave a huge yawn, stretching out on his rock. 

"Sounds about r-right," he yawned again. Sophie curled up tighter against his side. "But we need to stick together, right? We're a team, after all. If we're lucky, we'll be with each other in a room with bunk beds. But, if only it were that easy." 

"I'm sure we'll be able to see each other in the prison yard." 

"How did you escape prison, Ghetsis?" 

Ghetsis's lips turned upward into a smug smirk as he looked at the group. 

"The police contained me, yes, but I was able to break out by means known only by me." 

"But you can help us all," Maxie said. 

"You're not worthy of knowing my tactics." 

"D'you think they'll just send us on death row?" Archie asked. 

"Let's see," Maxie said, sitting up and taking a small bottle from inside his jacket and popping the lid off with his thumb. "Cyrus almost restarted the whole universe—" Cyrus's eyes glinted in the firelight, the flickering shadows giving him a skeletal appearance as he sat in the distance. "—I'm sure Hoenn almost got flooded over or covered in lava, Kalos was spared from some purge, and I'm sure Unova just narrowly missed a mass execution from Ghetsis." 

He poured the liquid into the flask, refilling it and carefully slipping it back into his jacket. He swirled the bottle and tipped it, drinking gratefully. He slowly lowered it and looked at Archie. "So, yes." 

"D'you think they'll just blindfold us and just—" He made the action of shooting a rifle. 

"They'll probably torture us until we're reduced to nothing but a pile of organs." 

"Unlikely," Cyrus said over the cracking of fire. "They'll probably need us alive to get information." 

"Then, they'll kill us." 

"Wait," Archie said. "Lysandre can just help us escape; he knows the ports, I bet." 

"Ports?" Ghetsis scoffed. "You plan on us going on some rust bucket back to the lame islands?" 

"It beats getting attacked by police who can speak in cursive." 

"Where else can we go?" Maxie asked darkly. "What can we do? We're stuck." 

He drank the rest of the bottle and discarded it, where it rolled into the darkness before he flopped onto his back with a loud sigh, ignoring the dust that rose around him. "Why should we go back to Alola, anyway?" 

"Well, even if we did leave to our regions like we were supposed to, I'm sure Kalos is telling the other locations to be on the extreme lookout. I doubt we can even step foot anywhere. But I bet we can stowaway on a boat." 

"Wouldn't it make more sense to just surrender and cooperate with the police?" 

"If we surrender," Archie reasoned. "We will probably be sent immediately to some death camp given the actions that we have done and will be unable to explain ourselves fairly. Besides, with their mother missing, they'll _definitely_ blame us for that. Not to mention Giovanni's disappearance will bring questions we can't answer. _And_ we have the children to bring with us." 

"We don't have to bring them with us," Ghetsis said. "We can leave them here." 

"It won't work," Cyrus said. "They're too attached to Lysandre. They'll follow him anywhere." 

"Let's tie him up and leave him here, then." 

"We have no rope," Cyrus answered calmly as if that was a good idea to begin with. 

"This whole mess is _your_ doing, Lysandre," Ghetsis snarled as he turned to the Kalosian. "You get us out of this." 

"Lysandre?" 

The Kalosian was on the ground, shielding Luna from the cold stone as she was curled atop of him, nestled in his jacket as the two were asleep. 

* * *

"What is this place?" Lysandre asked, wondering if he had a heart attack in his sleep and finally got accepted to enter the afterlife. 

He was standing on a mountainside, but the stones were white and glowing a faint light that made the mist washing over it crisp white. The sky held a large, full moon that was held in a sky of purple galaxies and speckled stars. 

"It is your dream, Lysandre," a man said, several feet away. Now that he spoke, Lysandre noticed him, standing there calmly. 

The Kalosian opened his mouth, noticed the man's face, and closed it. His gaunt face held a similarly worried expression, while his thin, silver hair was put in a small ponytail. This time, he wasn't ghostly transparent, but instead had a milky skin that mad Lysandre wonder if he was painted from head to toe. 

"I've seen you before," Lysandre replied, walking to the man. "You gave me the image of the river in my dream, and you're the man I saw when I ran through the hall." 

"I did," the man replied with a single nod. "My name is Aylin Mizuki." 

"Mizuki..." 

Where did he hear that name before? It was something he read. 

_"I want to go home, now," Jackie admitted, looking at Maxie._

_"That may be an issue," Maxie said as he looked up from the newspaper, throwing it to Archie, who skimmed the article, his eyes growing cold before throwing it like a frisbee to Cyrus. The Galactic leader caught it, but whatever was written only caused a slight raise of his supposed eyebrows._

_"What does it say?" Jackie asked anxiously as he danced between the men, hurrying to whoever was holding the paper as it passed around with the adults. Lysandre received it and didn't need to get passed through the headline to read what happened._

_**Missing Police Officers Lead to Kidnapping."** _

_Charette Suzuki, the biological mother of Jackie, Sophie, and step-mother to Luna Mizuki..._

"You're Luna's biological father." 

Aylin smiled slightly. 

"Yes, Luna is my daughter. You need to return her to Alola," Aylin said quickly, tilting his chin up to look Lysandre in the eye. "She does not deserve to suffer from your decisions." 

"Back to Alola?" 

Aylin gave another nod. 

"They'll kill us, and they'll take the children away," Lysandre began. Aylin cut in. 

"She does not deserve to suffer from your decisions. The longer you hide, the more time the people will decide your fate. Go back now to show them you aren't a coward, Lysandre." 

"Where will I go in Alola?" 

"Just return, and fate will unfold itself." 

"What if they shoot us?" 

"They won't shoot you," Alyin said confidently. 

The Kalosion looked at Aylin. 

"Those children survived the storm because I guided them to the mansion." 

"So that's why I let them in; you gave me the urge to feel bad for them." 

"I didn't do anything to you, I just let the children find you, and the rest followed through." 

Lysandre gave a guilty look while Aylin smiled, lifting the corner of his lip. 

"It's interesting, I noticed," Aylin mused. "How people work. They just need simple guidance, but often time mess things up for their own selfish needs." 

"Hey—" Lysandre pointed an accusatory finger at Aylin. "Purging Kalos was not selfish!" 

"Yes, it was." 

Lysandre chewed his tongue, irritated that he agreed with Aylin. 

"Lysandre, look at me." 

The Kalosion's light blue eyes stared at the hazel ones. 

"Go back to Alola, and return the children to their home." 

"But, their mother's kidnapped. Couldn't you have prevented that?" 

Alyin shook his head somberly. 

"Yes, you could have!" Lysandre snapped. "If you can appear in the end of hallways, or give people visions, why didn't you warn Charlotte she was going to be kidnapped? Why didn't you stop the stupid cat from slicing my leg? Why didn't you stop Giovanni stop from taking my Holo Caster? Or throw Luna in the river?! Or stop Hunter's posse?!" 

"Lysandre, listen," Alyin replied calmly, holding up a hand. "There's a reason for everything that happens in life." 

Lysandre looked like he was about to shout again, so Aylin quickly continued. "I merely guide those who need it, because sometimes just pointing someone where to go is all I need to do." 

"Yeah, some guidance," Lysandre growled. 

"Did you not rescue Luna from the river?" 

The Kalosion went silent. 

"She would have perished without you had I not given you directions." 

"Why didn't you do anything when Hunter and his crew chased us? We could have used some help when he nearly killed me and taken the others." 

"Lysandre, always remember the teacher will be silent during the test." 

Lysandre crossed his arms, and Aylin continued. 

"Return the children, and the rest will follow through." 

There was the sound of feet running over to them, and they both saw Luna running over to Aylin, who knelt down and scooped her into his eyes just as Lysandre woke up. 

He blinked his eyes open and saw embers glowing lazily under a pile of burnt sticks, surrounded by ash. 

"We could just leave him here," Ghetsis growled. "Let him get taken by his own people." 

"That means we'll be with the kids," Maxie said. "Unless we just leave all four in the cave. But that doesn't seem like a good idea." 

"Yeah!" Archie agreed. "We got to stick together! What'd you think, Cyrus?" 

"We should wait until he wakens," Cyrus said quietly. Lysandre slit his eye open to see Maxie drowsing, hands behind his head as he laid on his back before letting out a yawn, while Archie and Sophie were together against a boulder. Cyrus and Ghetsis were out of his view. 

"We should wake him up now, then," Ghetsis snapped. "We don't have all day for the lion cub to sleep!" 

"It has only been about two hours," Maxie yawned. "We need to rest, anyway. We're all exhausted." 

There was a period of silence, but Lysandre could hear shifting around. His body shot awake when something hard and swift smashed into his ribs, making it impossible to ignore as he looked up to see a superior-looking Ghetsis. 

"Wake up!" 

Luna started shivering as she rolled to Lysandre's side and onto the stone. 

"Where are we going?" Jackie asked, trembling. He looked like he was on the verge of a mental breakdown. 

"We need to return to Alola," Lysandre said firmly as he stood up, dusting off his red shirt. Luna was blanketed in his jacket, but it gave Lysandre some comfort knowing she wasn't cold. 

"Back to Alola?" Jackie squeaked. "But what about Mama?" 

"No one cares, kid," Ghetsis growled as he looked at the exit of the cave. "We just need to get out of here." 

Jackie stared in disbelief as everyone hoisted themselves up and brushed off the grime that settled on their clothes. 

"Do you think the police will be waiting for us?" Archie asked, kicking whatever amount of dust the ground provided to smother the embers. 

"It would have been nice for the cops to be killed, too," Maxie said. "How did you kill every bounty hunter, Ghetsis?" 

"Some didn't have guns," Ghetsis replied but didn't continue making everyone wonder why he even mentioned that in the first place. He instead rounded on Lysandre with such a fiery look that if anyone entered the cave, it looked like the two had been arguing for hours. "Although, I _would_ like to know what your plan is to get everyone back to Alola safely." 

"I cannot promise everyone's safety," Lysandre rebuffed, but I do know where we can travel back to Alola. It'll take a while, though." 

"Let's do it!" Archie boomed. "We'll return to Alola!" 

Lysandre stifled a yawn, nodding as he slunk out of the cave. 

"Just follow me." 

* * *

Hunter awoke in a world of darkness, the sounds of voices slowly rolled around in his head before melding into coherent sentences. 

"...was a success. All risks for infections have been eliminated." 

Hunter vaguely remembered talking about surgery, and he did agree to something a doctor said, but the memory was just another echo in his fogged mind. 

"Will he need someone to stay with him while he recovers?" 

Hunter recognized the voice to be Chief's, and tried to open his eyes to wave at him; but his eyes wouldn't open. He tried moving his eyelids, but they felt stitched together, forced to be closed. 

"Chief?" 

When Hunter's voice had the tint of panic, everyone knew he on the verge of a breakdown, a quite possibly violent one. 

"Hunter, I need you to stay calm," Chief began gruffly. 

"What happened?" 

"You just got out of surgery—" 

"Actually," the voice of Josephine snapped in a corner. "You were out for most of the day. Your surgery was a day ago." 

Hunter went to touch his eyes that refused to open, but was immediately grabbed on the wrists to prevent himself from moving any further. 

"Don't touch your eyes, Hunter," a voice said, and Hunter assumed it was a doctor's, but he hated being unable to move and see, shoving away the person. He sat up quickly, and could hear Chief and Josephine hurrying to his bedside. 

"Stay away," Hunter breathed, feeling panic rise in his chest as he heard footsteps approach his vulnerable body. "Stay away!" 

He hugged himself, feeling a thin, plastic tube had been embedded in the crook of his arm. 

"Why can't I see?! What happened to my vision?!" 

"Hunter," the doctor said. "We tried to recover your eyes when they got gouged... but your lenses were sliced open by the thumbnails, and there was an infection that traveled through to your vitreous body... to prevent it from spreading any further we had to extract your eyes." 

Hunter immediately felt for his eyes in a panic, as if they would somehow appear the more he touched. 

"Don't do that," The doctor ordered urgently. "You must understand that your health was our top priority." 

"My eyes are gone?!" 

Hunter suddenly felt something that he hadn't felt for years: fear. His chest constricted as all air had felt like it evaporated in his chest. Josephine's lip pulled back as she watched the reality crash into Hunter, while Chief Harlow shook his head as had experienced many people who went through panic attacks, practically desensitized to emotion outbursts from all walks of life. 

"Hunter," Chief started. "I know it's a lot to take in." 

"What will I do?! My Pokémon, my apartment— how will I pay it off now?! Where are my partners, are they safe?!" 

"Mr. Diasuke..." the doctor said in a somber voice. 

"They're all dead," Josephine cut in. "You're the only survivor. Consider yourself lucky." 

Hunter paled so drastically it was a wonder he didn't faint. 

"They're going to have a funeral service for your buddies as soon as they find everyone. Arceus, you suck at your job." 

"Joe!" Chief snapped. 

"It's true. The prime bounty hunter and the most elite people and they all die?! You had to _try_ to fail." 

Hunter didn't know what to say, nor did he care what Josephine said, but all he could do was think of his future. How would he get to the funeral? He would have to sell his car, but then after that, how would he pay for his apartment? And feed his Pokémon? He would have to sell his clothes too, surely someone would buy his items. But after selling everything, then what? Where would he live? Not to mention getting a job. Who would buy a lame, blind man? 

"I'm sure this is a lot for you, Hunter," Chief Harlow coughed, watching Hunter unable to process everything that was thrown at him. 

"I can't pay my bill," Hunter mumbled, looking deathly pale. 

"You don't have an emergency fund?" 

Josephine rolled her eyes as Hunter started to cry, his shoulders shaking as he buried his face in his hands. The room was filled with nothing but the howled sobs of Hunter, who didn't know his tears started turning red. 

"Diasuki, you're breaking your stitches," the doctor said quietly, knowing full well they would simply have to refix the tears when Hunter wasn't awake. 

Josephine looked like he wanted to slap Hunter's face, but instead sat glowering as he allowed his pride to be absolutely demolished. 

Hunter wanted nothing but to wake up and find everything to had been a bad dream. 

* * *

"Here we are," Lysandre said quietly as the sunrise was making the world a peach hue as the ocean glinted the light into a million shattered pieces that reflected off the waves. The team were hiding behind a large wall of shrub, their voices masked by the calls of Wingull and Pelippers alike. 

The men watched sailors carrying boxes, ropes, and heavy burlap sacks and walking onto a ramp, boarding a large traveling ship. 

"Woah... what is it?" Maxie asked. 

"That's a simple freighter, or cargo ship," Archie asked. "Usually used to transport goods to other regions. It's better than a tankard for our purpose." 

“We’re taking that one, the L'écrivain ne connaît pas le français,” Lysandre said, pronouncing the name airily as he pointed to a large freighter. 

"What's that mean, 'Fancy French Boat' or something?" Maxie asked, looking at Lysandre. 

"It means... never mind. We're getting on it, though." 

Ghetsis grumbled, but no one paid him any attention. 

"Ready?" Lysandre asked. 

"How will we get on?" Cyrus asked, his eyes glancing over to the sailors. "We need a plan." 

"We get in through the crates they're loading," Archie said, pointing to the dock where large shipping crates were laying out in the open, ready to be loaded on the freighter. 

"See anyone?" Maxie asked. 

"Naw, we're clear. Arceus, I'm ready to feel the rocking of a boat again," Archie said with an excited shudder, grinning at the group. "Let's go!" 

He leapt over the bushes, running onto the dock, ducking behind the crate and signaling for the others to follow. Everyone silently crept over, hurrying to the crate which Archie forcefully pried open, making a loud groan and making everyone flinch, nervously checking around for any sailors who heard the noise. The very few who were remotely nearby didn't even check for the source of the sound, sitting on their makeshift chairs of barrels and boxes, sipping soda pop and chattering loudly. 

"I guess this is a sound they hear so much," Maxie said quietly, despite them being too far from the sailors to be heard. 

With a grunt, Archie heaved the top opened, allowing enough space for someone Cyrus's size could slip in. The Galactic leader nimbly leapt into the crate, disappearing inside. 

"Can we all fit?" Archie asked. 

"Yes," Cyrus answered from the dark opening. "There's sacks of flour in here. Hand the children over." 

Lysandre took over in lifting the crate lid, raising it a foot or two higher than what Archie had. The pirate then lifted Luna, Jackie, and Sophie into the crate, which Cyrus took one by one. 

"You're next," Archie said, kneeling down and placing interlocking his fingers and opening his palms to make a platform for Maxie's foot. 

Maxie awkwardly held his balance as Archie was used as a platform, allowing the Magma leader to climb up the crate entrance, before crawling into the crate with a muffled flop. A cloud of flour wisped into the rising sunlight and vanished. 

Archie offered his platform-hands to Ghetsis, who scoffed, and grabbed the edge of the crate and smoothly swung himself in before a heavier cloud of flour erupted from the entrance. 

"Lysandre?" 

The Kalosion gave the look of uncertainty to Archie, worried his weight would damage Archie's wrists or hands. 

"I'll be fine! I was able to lift Maxie and believe me, that guy is _heavy."_

A handful of flour was thrown in Archie's direction, snowing on his bandana. 

"Alright," Lysandre said, allowing himself to be helped into the crate, before hoisting himself and disappearing into the flour. He was immediately encased into darkness as he was the one who was holding it open. 

Archie lifted his hand to the crate, which was opened on the inside. Lysandre snaked his top half out then grabbed the pirate's hand, pulling him up. With a lot of grunting, straining, and uneven stumbling, the team helped the pirate inside, before the crate shut for once and for all. 

The fine powder that escaped the bags wafted through the air, making everyone's eyes water and having someone sneeze occasionally. 

"Now what?" 

"We just need to wait until we're shipped on board," Cyrus said in the darkness. 

"It's so scary in here," Sophie whispered. "Like something is going to sneak up on me." 

No sooner did the words escape her lips when she let out a shrill scream. 

"Sorry," Archie said quickly. "I didn't mean to grab you, lass. I thought you were Maxie." 

"I'm over here," Maxie said from somewhere in the middle. 

"If this doesn't work out, Lysandre, I'm keeping the promise of skinning you alive." 

"That means a lot, Ghetsis," Lysandre said with sarcasm. 

Jackie coughed loudly. 

"I hate the dark," he said. 

"It's something you get used to," Lysandre sighed, sitting down. He refused to vision himself crawling out of the crate looking like a ghost. 

"The stars are the best in the darkness," Cyrus said in the quiet. 

"You know," Archie said as it sounded like he was laying himself down. "I never saw you as an astronomer. I mean, Team _Galactic_ — galaxy, but... I just never took you as someone who wanted to restart the entire universe because of your beliefs. Granted, a lot of people wouldn't see people like us growing up and imagine how we'll turn up to be. Well... Ghetsis is an exception." 

Lysandre sighed and leaned himself against the corner, tuning out the talking. He felt tiny hands touch his foot, and he recognized Luna. 

"Hi," he said softly. 

She comfortably crawled onto his lap, curling up and taking a deep sigh, going quiet. 

Lysandre followed suit, closing his eyes against the darkness and focusing on the sleep he lost. 

The crate warmed up with everyone's body heat, and Archie had enough sense to open the crate every now and then to make sure they could receive fresh oxygen. 

Talking slowly faded off, and everyone started to grow aware of how fatigued they were, slowly but surely falling asleep. When Archie stopped lifting the lid, Cyrus did so whenever their enclosure got too stuffy and allowed the cool air to wash away the staleness that had settled. Each time he did so, he could see the day was getting brighter. 

Then the loud horn of the ship made everyone jump awake as the crate vibrated from the loudness. 

"Wazzat?" Archie slurred. 

"Ow! Is that you, Archie?" 

"That's me, Maxie. Let go." 

Everyone went silent as the crate shifted, the sound of an engine running filling everyone's ears. They could feel themselves getting lifted off the ground, before moving several paces and tilting; they were going up a steep ramp. 

No one said anything, and Lysandre felt Luna scrunch herself as tightly as she could into him. 

The moving stopped after what seemed like an extremely long time, and the crate was set down. The engine faded away, and silence drifted over everyone. 

"Someone, check." 

The lid was pried slightly open, and Ghetsis saw they were in a room as large as a warehouse full of nonperishable ingredients that lined shelves that filled the walls. 

"No one," he hissed. 

As ungraceful as possible, the men and children slithered out of the crate sneezing on the powdery air, flopping onto the ground and scuttling away as fast as they could away from the storage room. 

"Follow me," Archie said as he walked into a metallic hallway, checking that no one was there. 

"Where are we going?" 

"To one of the less busy areas, like the one of the holds or maybe even a secluded area on deck." 

As silently as they could on metal, everyone tread lightly through the hall, stopping when there was a loud groan of metal or creak of a pipe. 

"At least we know where the kitchen is," archie said, peaking over a railing to a maze of pipes below. "I found it." 

"Found what?" 

"Our hiding spot." 

Everyone leaned over the railing to see the jumble of pipes that snaked along the floor, some were humming loudly and others sounded like a river was gushing through. 

"I'm not going near those things," Ghetsis snorted. 

"Suit yourself," Archie said coolly as he pulled away from the railing and walking to where a small, metal ladder was descending to the rusted floor. 

"Why is there a ladder?" 

"Maintenace, really," Archie said as he slid down the ladder and landed on the floor, walking around the rusty environment. "This just allows the water and fuel and such to pass through the different areas of the ship, and unless a pipe bursts or something, there's really no need for anyone to go down here." 

Maxie descended as well, walking over to where Archie was already planning out a den. 

Cyrus followed after, and the ship blasted with another horn, and there were voices entering the area. The rest of the remaining team climbed down the ladder, hurrying down into the small pipe house that Archie was mapping out. 

Everyone failed to see in what sense that the wall of water pipes running across the wall resembled any semblance of shelter, but Archie was using one as a bench. 

"This seems unsafe," Lysandre said as he could just feel the tetanus waiting for anyone to get cut. 

"Here come the sailors," Cyrus said quietly as voices were heard as they started walking about above the team, their footsteps loud and echoey as they passed the small pipe area. No one gave a second glance at the general location as they passed by. 

Jackie hugged his knees, perched on a pipe that was quiet. 

"I know a lot is going on," Lysandre said as he sat next to the boy, looking at Jackie who just turned away. "But please understand that we are doing this for your safety." 

"Unless the ship goes down," Ghetsis said as he leaned over the two. "And we all sink and die." 

"Ghetsis," Lysandre snapped "Go be stupid somewhere else." 

"Just telling it as it is, Lion-boy." 

Lysandre gave him a glare that said _we'll talk later._

"I'm scared," Jackie mumbled, tears welling up in his eyes. 

"I know, Jackie, I'm so sorry you have to go through all this." 

"Not that sorry," Ghetsis butted in again. 

Lysandre stood up, glaring at Ghetsis who was wearing that infuriating smirk. Jackie hugged herself tightly as Lysandre pushed the Plasma leader away. 

"What are you doing?" Lysandre hissed angrily. 

"Just telling the truth," Ghetsis said smoothly. 

"Leave me and the boy alone. In fact, I don't know why we even brought you in the first place." 

"If I may remind you," Ghetsis growled back. "I wasn't the fool to accept the semen demons." 

"They're called _children_ , Ghetsis. And I'm sure you know how they're made, considering you have a child yourself. Hm, I wonder how blind that woman was to even willingly mate with the likes of you." 

"N is not biologically mine!" 

"Adopted him, then?" Lysandre said with a cold grin forming on the corner of his lip. "I guess I'm not the only fool here." 

He turned away from Ghetsis, walking back to Jackie. 

"Don't turn your back on me, Lysandre." 

Lysandre ignored him, sitting next to Jackie. 

Ghetsis bristled, his eyes forming into malice squints as he fumed with many ideas involving bodily harm, but were ended when Maxie pushed past him. 

"Okay," he addressed the team. We all found a place to hide. Now, we need food and water." 

"Did you see how close we are to the kitchen? Taking stuff from there will be a cinch!" 

"What about sleeping arrangements? I'm sure all of us don't want to sleep on the cold, metal ground. Or the hard, rusting pipes." 

"We could find a better room if this is so bothersome to you meddling fools," Ghetsis huffed. 

"It's cold," Sophie whined, holding a shivering Luna's hand. 

"Shut up, you whiney brats," Ghetsis snarled, rounding on the girls. 

"You don't have to be so mean," Sophie said, frowning. The bruise on her temple had turned a worrisome shade of violet, but Ghetsis seemed proud of the damage he caused. 

"Yeah, sweetheart," he challenged in a dark tone. "You don't have to stay with us. There's something called a lifeboat, which you and your siblings can--" 

"Ghetsis," Archie growled. "Why don't _you_ jump off? Soak that big head of yours." 

Everyone started to tense up like feral dogs waiting to see who will make the first move. 

"Gentlemen," Lysandre cut in as he walked over. "We cannot jeopardize everything we did to be found." 

Ghetsis shot him a look of malice. 

"I'm not the one who started these brats." 

"I'm not _adopting_ them," Lysandre sighed. "And I'm not here for a fight. We just need to sit down and assess everything that's going on." 

The Plasma leader glowered at Lysandre as he stalked off, while Maxie turned away as well. Archie whistled a single note. 

"That was close." 

"I just hope we will survive being in such a tight area." 

* * *

"I'm not hungry," Hunter said as he turned away whatever was in the plate they were offering him. 

"Mr. Diasuke, you haven't eaten in three days." 

"I don't care." 

"Very well, but we must assure you that our priority is--" 

"My health. Yeah. You told me." Hunter snapped. 

"Hunter?" A female voice said in the doorway. "You have visitors." 

"Thrillsville." 

"Hunter?" Came the somber voice of Chief Harlow. "How are you holding up?" 

Hunter shrugged, turning his head to the side. 

"The Pokécremation Center was going to start on your Luxray today." 

Hunter nodded. 

"They said she died a hero." 

"Chief?" 

"Yes?" 

"Shut up." 

Hunter knew Chief Harlow was trying to cheer him up, but the pain of losing his Luxray still was raw. He thought of his two other Pokémon, his Pikachu and Pichu, and how they were saved as Hunter left them in the Pokémon daycare. 

But how was he beat by _Ghetsis,_ of all people? 

Hunter let out a pained groan, shifting himself into another position. At least he would have some things to hold onto, like his Pokémon. 

His hand trailed to his hip. 

"Where's my Glock?" 

Harlow shrugged, looking at Hunter. 

"Where did you last leave it?" 

Hunter bit his tongue. He knew he would be breaking protocol by bringing a gun on his hunt after the leaders. If any children were involved, weapons were practically banned. 

"My apartment somewhere," he lied, trying to remember where he did have it last. He aimed it at Lysandre, then Ghetsis was there... 

It was lost in the forest somewhere. 

Hunter gave a long sigh. 

"Is that the only reason you're here, Chief?" 

"Well, while you were in surgery, the team was spotted in Kalos. They crashed a plane they hijacked, and it was found on the coastline where both pilots were dead. Not from the crash." 

Hunter knew Ghetsis was the cause of their fate, and he went quiet. 

"They also were found in Sycamore's Labs." 

Hunter heard of the place; he just had no need to go there. 

"No one was killed, that time. But that was the last they were seen." 

"Any leads on where they have gone?" 

"The Kalos police have none so far." 

Hunter mumbled something darkly, and Harlow figured it was best not to know. 

"What do you think they are doing?" 

"I don't know, son, but I hope they are keeping those children safe." 

Hunter frowned but gave a gasp of pain when he did so and became stoic. 

"The freak show said he wanted them safe. Do you... think there's a chance?" 

Chief Harlow shook his head. 

"Men have done horrible things to people, disregarding age, and, some, gender." 

It didn't occur to Hunter what that the chief had witnessed through his years, and the respect he had held back suddenly exploded in significance as he realized that Harlow had seen what would put normal-living people into shock. 

"S-surely women are evil, too," Hunter said, his arms hugging himself. 

"Oh, they can be," Harlow sighed. "But when you look at the crimes everyone had committed, I can only wonder 'what happened to bring them this point?' and it hurts my heart when I wonder... 'was there anything I could have done to prevented them from doing this?'" 

Hunter bit the inside of his cheek. 

"Those men didn't have to take the kids." 

He remembered looking up at the goofy-haired Kalosion, furious. 

_"You took them," Hunter growled sharply. "Why?"_

_"I didn't want to leave them," Lysandre sighed, and Hunter couldn't find any falsities in his voice or expression. "They were so helpless and lost when they came to the mansion. But I couldn't abandon them even during our escape, Although I probably should have left them to you and your bounty hunters. They would have given the appropriate help."_

"I'm thanking Arceus they are alive, but for how long? And what are the teams' motives for keeping them?" 

Hunter shuddered, remembering the forest. 

_"I don't like the feeling of leaving a hurt child," Lysandre continued, looking calmly at the weapon Hunter was supposedly not supposed to have. "It just didn't feel right to just abandon someone who just got injured."_

_"This doesn't make sense," Jackie spoke up, turning to Lysandre as he comforted his panicking sister. "You're... you're— evil."_

_"Yes," Hunter said neutrally, although, he was doubting himself. "He is, Jackie."_

_"Just don't hurt the children," Lysandre said darkly, looking into Hunter's shielded eyes before closing his own and accepting his fate._

_"Such strange words coming from the likes of you," Hunter said truthfully, keeping his Glock on Lysandre._

_"Jackie. Luna." Lysandre spoke in the tone of a firm father. "Look away and cover your ears. Hunter will take you home now."_

Hunter's finger refused to squeeze the trigger in the painfully long seconds that followed after. Was this man truly evil? Would killing him be the answer to stopping Rainbow Rocket? If he killed the man in front of him, would that make Hunter just as bad as he was? Why was he thinking so much on this?

He helped the kids... but so what? 

Hunter refused to shoot. And it cost him his sight in the end. 

"Do you know why they did?" Harlow asked. 

"No," Hunter said before sighing and half-shrugging before sighing louder. "Well, not exactly. One just refused to leave them because they were hurt. He didn't want me to hurt them, either. But the girl was already wounded when I found her." He held an imaginary soccer ball in his hands, as if that was a remotely accurate way of describing Sophie. "She was small and curled up... and a huge red mark was on her temple. But he was searching for her after I removed her from a hiding spot." 

Chief watched with a curious expression. 

"There's a chance, though," Harlow cut in. "That the children will be safe." 

"I hope so," Hunter said as he thought of the hunt in the forest. When Lysandre stumbled, his face contorted into pain, even if it was for a second. "I just hope he keeps to his word. The safety of the children is all in his hands, now." 

* * *

"Oh my god, we lost a child," Lysandre said in a nobody-panic-but-it's-time-to-panic tune as searched the area, gripping his hair tightly. 

"What the- _how_ does that happen?" Archie asked, poking his head out from the pipe den. 

"Jackie left?" Sophie asked, as she and Luna slipped out of the den. 

"No, no," Lysandre said, ushering the girls back to the den. "Yes." 

Ghetsis barked a laugh, watching Lysandre as he was perched in the shadows, watching the Kalosion from above. 

"Ghetsis, shut up. Archie, Maxie, you help keep watch. Cyrus, you keep the girls hidden." 

"Well, before you grow white hair," Archie reasoned. "Let's find the possibilities of where a small ten-year-old boy would have gone, first." 

Cyrus emerged as well, standing up. 

"Archie knows ships the best, perhaps he can be the guide to find the boy," was what the Galactic leader had to offer. 

"The girls will stay in the den," Lysandre said, tapping his lip as he paced. "Ghetsis will—" 

"What, exactly?" The Plasma leader snarled, squaring up to the Flare leader. 

Lysandre growled back, clenching his fist. 

_" You_ will get your overheated tête out of your cul, and actually be _useful_ for once." 

"Me? Make _me_ useful?!" Ghetsis snapped, placing his hand on his chest. "I believe _you're_ the one who asked me to keep a tiny little girl safe as _you_ were injured and useless!" 

Cyrus felt Luna hug his leg as the two men narrowed on each other, teeth bared and bodies tense. He looked down and saw her bury her face against him, starting to tremble. 

"Gentlemen!" Archie barked, shoving the two apart. "Let's not wake the whole ship! We will all go together, and the girls will be safe here. It will be better if they weren't found with us." 

"Very well," Lysandre huffed. "Jackie needs to be found right away." 

With a list of what not to do, the girls were concealed in the pipe den, vanishing into the shadows with ease. 

The men then ascended the ladder, slinking along the shadows with Archie in the lead. Maxie didn't seem too keen to be stuck on a massive piece of metal in the middle of the ocean, while Archie was acting like he was visiting an old summer home. Lysandre just wanted to find Jackie, and Ghetsis was very much comfortable saying his mind to the irate Kalosion. No one seemed to notice that Cyrus broke away from the group, seemingly following a very faint tug in his chest. 

Maybe a gut feeling? But almost like something in the air was begging him to follow it. 

And no one noticed him slipping away. 

They climbed a short set of stairs, and continued to the heart of the ship, thankful that almost everyone aboard was asleep, meaning they didn't have to worry about walking into anyone. 

There was a long groan from the metal walls, and Maxie's jaw clenched as it slowly faded away. 

"Jackie?" Lysandre leaned over the railing but all he saw was darkness, and all that answered was the soft groans of engines and pipes down below. 

"Woah," Archie warned. "This railing looks outdated, Lysandre. Don't lean too heavily on it." 

But Lysandre wasn't listening to the pirate, as Ghetsis was hissing in his ear. 

"Use your common sense, Fire-head. Unless Jackie was suicidal, he wouldn't be stupid enough to jump. But I wouldn't blame him if he did." 

"Ghetsis," Lysandre said in a forced calm and placed his fingertips together, turning to the Plasma leader as he stepped away from the railing. "Do us all a favor, and ferme ton airhole hurlant." 

"Men," Maxie said firmly. "Jackie is missing. Let's go." 

Lysandre growled, bumping past Ghetsis angrily. 

"Archie," he said in an irritated tone. "Do ships have air vents? Maybe Jackie is hiding in a vent or something." 

"Well, big freighters like this one—" 

Everyone went still as the ship made an alarming groan that vibrated their shoes and rattled their vision. Maxie gripped the railing so hard it partially snapped. 

"That's normal," Archie said with a nervous laugh. "Freighters, with the constant shifting of the waves and the heavy load makes the ship make noise sometimes." 

"I hate this," Maxie admitted. 

"I hope we aren't in the wrong direction," Lysandre sighed. 

"Someone should map out this place. Have Cyrus do it." 

"Cyrus?" 

Everyone looked around. 

"Do you think they took him?" 

"He's too smart," Lysandre answered. 

"Unlike you," Ghetsis scoffed. 

"I'm not the one who nearly decapitated Sophie with my foot," Lysandre snapped back. 

"The brat needed a good teaching." 

Lysandre rounded on the Plasma leader. 

"Oh, please," Ghetsis yawned. "Do something useful and find Cyrus. Or, better yet, jump overboard." 

"Why don't _you_ go and find him, while _we_ go after Jackie?" 

"Guys!" Archie growled. "Fighting won't stop anything! Let's go!" 

The two eased away, breathing heavy. 

"Although," Ghetsis whispered to Lysandre, unable to stop adding fuel to the fire. "You absolutely refused to let go of the girls, and yet, you're searching for the boy in maybe a wrong direction." 

Lysandre refused to take the bait, glaring ahead. 

"I didn't know you were a pedophile... I bet when you were alone with Luna you asked her to help you undres—" 

_Crack!_

Ghetsis stumbled back, holding his jaw. 

"Don't you _ever_ talk like that again," Lysandre threatened. "Luna is a good child, and I will raise her in the short time I have with her to never be like you ever. _I,_ after all, care for those I adopt." 

He hit a nerve, because Ghetsis's lip curled and his gaze hardened. He sent a swift punch into Lysandre's side, and the two started to swipe angrily at each other like two feisty Meowths using Fury Swipe. 

"Guys!" Maxie barked while Archie slammed them apart. 

"My children will not be corrupted by the likes of Ghetsis!" 

"They aren't yours!" 

The two started to latch their nails into each other's skin. "I will never be a horrible parent like you!" 

"Oh, yeah, because what says good parenting than losing a brat in the middle of the ocean?!" 

"Shut up!" Lysandre ignored Archie's attempts to stop them. 

The two were clawing at the jugular, trying to rip into flesh. 

Ghetsis had got a grip on Lysandre's beard and refused to let go, pulling with all his weight. Lysandre cried out, backhanding Ghetsis with a powerful slap that made an echo. 

The two were finally able to release all their anger at each other, clawing, kicking, and doing anything to get the advantage, until— 

"Gentlemen!" Archie shouted, wrenching the two apart. _"Enough!"_

"Yeah," Ghetsis scoffed. "We should return so Lysandre can have the girls to fu—" 

That did it. 

With an angry roar, Lysandre launched himself at Ghetsis, wrapping his fingers around the Plasma leader's throat as he had launched himself so hard that the two went flying backward into the railing that snapped under the sudden weight, causing the two to fall right over the edge. 

All Ghetsis saw were the Kalosion's enraged eyes shining like a cat's before the two fell into the darkness. 


	10. Guy Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two men work together to find two men who got lost together who were originally searching for two men who wandered off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I personally never been physically abused, so if you have, just know that when Jackie goes through flashbacks throughout the story, I don't want it to trigger anything for those who have suffered more.  
> I do, however, understand how PTSD tricks your mind into bringing you "back" to the trauma, so even though I never had been physically harmed, I have been triggered back a few times (I nearly got friggin squashed to death by a tree, so whenever a storm strikes, I get distressed) but I completely understand that my situation was a completely different circumstance as to physical abuse.  
> Why am I telling you this?  
> Because I understand how the mind will make you suffer, even when you aren't the ones at fault. 
> 
> Crisis Hotlines:  
> USA: 1800 273 8255  
> UK: 084 579 090 90  
> Mexico: 0155 5259-8121  
> Canada: 1-833-456-4566  
> Australia: 131 114  
> Uk/Ireland: 116 123  
> There's more I just need to find them.

Archie and Maxie ran to the edge, leaning over the edge to peer into the dark abyss of the ship, straining their ears to hear any sounds of bodies hitting metal. 

“Now what?” Archie asked, turning to the Magma leader. 

“We find Cyrus and the boy, and we can see if he can help us find those two idiots.” 

* * *

However, Cyrus was far away from any one of the group, following a stray pull that refused to leave his chest. Once or twice, he saw the backside of a transparent man in the light when they passed down a hallway. From what Cyrus saw, his man had a thin ponytail, and the Galactic leader at first thought it was Hunter’s spirit but quickly remembered that Hunter was still alive, and was on a long road to recovery. On closer inspection, he noticed the ghostly man was thinner a little shorter, and Cyrus was reminded of the small, frail, Starlies that flew around the Galactic Headquarters in the crisp mornings of Sinnoh. 

But who was this man? 

Cyrus walked into a smaller chamber to have the feeling in his chest vanish and the man was no longer able to be found in any kind of light. What replaced the eerie feeling of an apparition was the soft whimpering of a distressed child. 

Cyrus walked over to the sound to see that Jackie had found himself a rather large broom closet. Judging by the neglected broom that had the fibers chewed off, the closet had not been opened for a rather long time. Jackie was found huddled in the corner of it, hugging his knees and crying loudly, unaware at how he could be found by the sailors that way. 

“Jackie?” Cyrus asked, looking down at the boy who was hiding his face in sopped hands. 

“Leave me alone,” Jackie snapped, wiping his eyes. 

The Galactic leader shook his head in a slow manner. 

“Such emotions you have,” was all he had to say. 

“I hate being this s-soft,” Jackie growled, his anger towards himself. “I wish I would be unable to feel anything. That would make life so much easier.” 

“Life does not get easier,” Cyrus said, watching the boy who refused to match his gaze. “Life will stay the same despite what you do or do not feel. You can try to destroy your emotions to mimic the ideal, wonderful machines in everyday society.” 

Jackie smeared his sleeve across his nose, sniffing loudly. 

“I wish I w-wasn’t scared.” 

Cyrus knew he wasn’t in the mood to calm down Jackie, and he should have them return to the “pipe den” (which Archie named it) as soon as possible. But the Galactic leader just stood there, hands limp at his sides, watching Jackie lose his composure. 

“What is-is this all for?” the boy squeaked. “I’m s-so scared and confused and n-nervous...” 

“Your emotions are responding to your situation. You’re fearful of the unknown.” 

Jackie wiped his eyes with his damp sleeve, sniffing loudly again. 

“I w-wish I didn’t c-cry,” Jackie said, forcing himself out of the closet to start shivering uncontrollably. “I hate being seen as weak.” 

“Crying isn’t a sign of weakness, Jackie,” Cyrus said as he watched the boy clench his jaw to prevent chattering teeth. 

“Yes, it is!” Jackie blurted through a wave of fresh tears. “It m-means I c-can't control m-myself and is a b-big baby!” 

“Crying is a natural response, Jackie,” Cyrus said in a monotone voice as if he were reading from a book. “It doesn’t mean you’re weak for doing so. It means your body is overwhelmed, as fragile as it is, and that you need to remember that emotions compel it to do so.” 

“Easy f-for you so s-s-say,” Jackie mumbled darkly. “You sh-show no emotion!” 

“I have emotions, I just have no need to show any.” 

Cyrus did indeed quell out the feelings his body had in him, but try as he might, he knew they were still there in the brink of extinction, barely existing on the thread of human morality. A simple mishap he would have to fix. 

“I wish I c-could be like you...” 

“To be like me is impossible for a boy like you.” 

“I know... I’m j-just so sc-scared... About going home, my sisters, Mama...” 

“It’s the fear of the unknown,” Cyrus repeated as he stayed standing, facing the boy. “It is something you will have to get used to.” 

“I just hope Mama is alright... where will we go?” 

“For a child of your age, foster care and orphanages are used to house those without parents.” 

“I have p-parents! I have my mom!” Jackie once again smeared his nose with his sleeve. He looked up at Cyrus and narrowed his eyes. He saw the cold eyes with the expressionless face staring back at him and felt his heart harden when he realized none of this would have happened had he just said no to Lysandre in the very beginning. Where did this all go wrong? 

He was now a stowaway on a ship with five criminals, talking to one currently, and may never see his mother again. Luna almost died because he wasn’t watching her carefully, and Jackie knew it was his own fault. His fault for saying yes. His fault for allowing help. 

_It’s always my fault,_ Jackie thought. _Always was, always had been, always will be._

He vaguely knew he was staring at Cyrus, but he was thinking more than looking, realizing he was going to have to explain that he was the one who started all this. He saw the men were there, so why didn’t he run? Looking back, it would have made sense to run then hide, then contact the police. Why didn’t he try that, instead? 

_I should have fought them. I could have won._

His eyes focused on Cyrus’s cold blue ones staring back. 

“I never can trust you,” Jackie snapped. “I should have never accepted your help.” 

“We never told you to trust us.” 

Jackie gave a disgusting sniff and stood up, his body feeling warm. He turned to Cyrus, unsure what to say next. The Galactic leader looked down at him and continued to speak calmly as if they were discussing the structural integrity of the ship the entire time. 

“You children are so foolish. Say things that are unneeded to be heard. With those unnecessary habits, you will bring them into adulthood, and now we are in an imperfect society.” Cyrus turned away and stared at the distant doorway as if it held the answers to life. “You will never understand what it would be like to be the perfect being in life.” 

Jackie felt rage build up in him as he was insulted for the “fool” part. He didn’t really understand the rest, but still allowed himself to get mad over the whole monologue he heard. He figured it was as good as any reason to be irate with Cyrus. 

As any child would do, he spewed out what he first thought of, only to have a better comeback to say days later. 

“Well... well, you’re not perfect, either!” 

He glared at the stupid stained “G” on the back of Cyrus’s shirt, where the golden shade was buried under a layer of dirt and flour. Jackie found it was easier to shout at the Galactic leader when he wasn’t making eye contact. 

“You keep saying how life would be easier without emotions and how the world isn’t perfect! But it isn’t! And never will be!" 

His heartbeat smashed in his ears, making him flinch as a hand backhanded him down a flight of stairs as he yelped in pained hopelessness. He was back. Back in hell. 

He looked up the flight of stairs through tear-stained eyes to see _him_. Wearing that suit that hid his malicious intents. He broke into that wicked, deceiving smile that fooled everyone who saw it. The number of handshakes with fooled businessmen was less than the amounts of fists they made. 

“IT NEVER WILL BE!” 

The clatter of a fallen broom brought Jackie back to reality, flinching back to find himself in the musty closet and Cyrus’s back still to him. 

“That is why I need to restart the universe,” Cyrus deadpanned. “And almost succeeded had I not been summoned from the shadows.” 

“Restarting the universe won’t solve anything,” Jackie lied. A perfect universe sounded _phenomenal_ to be in. Oh, how glorious it would be to live in a land without strife! “Problems will still occur.” 

Cyrus said nothing but shook his head. 

“Simpleminded child,” he sighed. Jackie wasn’t sure if he was thankful that Cyrus didn’t say anything after that, but he still felt an unexplainable anger continually crash in his chest like frothy waves the longer he sat there glaring at the Plasma leader. 

“You just say that because you’re older than me.” 

Jackie wished he had something better to say, but he felt so exhausted both physically and emotionally that he wanted to do nothing but fall asleep right then and there. 

“Age is nothing for intelligence if it isn’t used.” 

Jackie stood up and hiccupped. 

He stared at his feet, and knew he would never trust Cyrus, or Lysandre, or any of the other team members; they never asked him to, and therefore he would never willingly do so. 

_I will stay with them until we are freed. I will never trust them. Not now, not ever._

Cyrus turned and walked away, and Jackie slunk away from the closet to follow close behind. 

* * *

“Get your paws off me!” Ghetsis snarled as he clawed at the Kalosian as the two were purged into darkness. The Plasma leader did not like being the weight and tried to position himself to have Lysandre take the brunt of the fall. 

But the quick seconds ended as the two men crashed onto a metal incline, rolling down it as if it were a giant slide, which, in a way, it was. 

Lysandre felt the bruises on his body sting as he crashed, crumping into a pained mess as he felt Ghetsis shift away from him, his limbs getting tangled with the Plasma leader’s robes as the two tumbled messily before spilling onto the cool, rusty floor. 

“Ghetsis?” Lysandre hissed through his teeth, rising to shaky feet, relieved to find nothing had broken on him, although it was hard to tell as his body was in unbearable pain to the point that white stars speckled the pitch-black view Lysandre was bound with. 

Ghetsis stayed quiet as he had another plan in hand; when he fell, he grabbed the nearest thing he could, which was a long, metal rob that broke apart in his hand. The Plasma leader thought of it as a crowbar and stayed quiet as he tracked down Lysandre’s padding footsteps, now noticing how someone his size could walk so quietly. 

“Ghetsis?” Lysandre asked again, groping his hands in front of him. “Where are you? I just felt you when we landed.” 

Ghetsis raised the weapon above his head, the image of the children flashed in the darkness as hazy pictures as the Plasma leader thought of their reactions to find that their precious guardian had suddenly died. 

But one less was better, after all, and that brought a smile across Ghetsis’s lips. 

And with that thought, he swung the metal rod down. 

Lysandre heard the _whoosh_ of something swinging into the metal, and at that very moment, his feet collided with an elevated piece of floor, making him trip and shoot his hands in front of him to break his fall. 

The clang of metal striking metal was deafening, the rod shaking so hard in Ghetsis’s grip it vibrated his whole arm, forcing the rod to shake out of his hand and clatter to the ground and roll away in the darkness. 

The ring of the strike slowly hummed away, and the ship answered back with a loud groan that surrounded every area of the dark abyss. Lysandre felt the ground under him tilt slightly, and he halfway wondered if the ship was turning in its course. 

“Ghetsis? Was that you?” 

Lysandre stood up, gritting his teeth as his entire backside felt like it was burned as throbbed with each heartbeat. He glided his hand in the darkness and felt it make contact with what he assumed was the Plasma leader’s chest. 

“That was me,” Ghetsis snapped while grabbing Lysandre’s wrist with concerning pressure before letting go. 

“Where do you think we are?” 

“At the bottom of a ship, in the middle of the ocean, stuck with the most annoying Kalosion to ever exist.” 

“We just need to keep going forward.” 

Ghetsis looked up, but only could see the broken railing far above them, the metal jutting out like a splinter. He couldn’t see Maxie or Archie in the dim light, and knew he would have to stick it out until he could see anything. He would have to allow Lysandre to find a way out. For now. 

“You think they would have a light down here for this kind of emergency,” Lysandre continued. “Or a ladder.” 

“There probably is. It’s too dark to see if there one.” 

“Hence, why they should have a light.” 

Ghetsis wondered how peaceful it would have been if he successfully bashed Lysandre’s skull in. 

Lysandre started running his hands across the rusty wall as they walked along with the dank interior in hopes they would meet a ladder. 

There was really nothing to say as the two trudged through the darkness, then Lysandre came to a mild realization. 

“Ghetsis?” 

“What?” he answered in a snap. 

“When you fought Hunter, you gouged out his eyes.” 

“I would do it again if he had another pair of eyes.” 

“You used both hands.” 

“So?” 

“So, you can use both arms.” 

“And?” 

“Why do you always have one hidden, then? And only use your left one?” 

“You’re treading on thin ice, Kalosian.” 

“What are you hiding, Ghetsis?” 

“I don’t hide anything. There’s just no reason to show everything of mine, but I’m sure you don’t know what that’s like. Maybe that’s why it’s such a foreign notion to you.” 

Lysandre noticed Ghetsis was changing the subject from himself to Lysandre, which had the Kalosian guess that Ghetsis was trying to start another argument. He decided not to take the bait, given that when he previously done so, the two had crashed at the bottom of the ship, and ultimately were alone with each other which caused their hatred to spike with every gaining second. 

At least Archie and Maxie got along well, even when arguments were raised and problems had occurred between the two. But Lysandre had a notion that he and Ghetsis got along as smoothly as two sheets of sandpaper rubbing against each other. 

Sure, he had to agree that not _everyone_ would have gone along well, but out of all the members to be stuck with, why Ghetsis? Cyrus may be the quieter one, but at least he was logical and the very least able to think things through in a given amount of time. Even Archie, with his loud, brash demeanor was better company than the hobbling creep next to him. 

Hell, the pirate probably had a fat-burning lamp somewhere on him. 

In the darkness of the seemingly endless walk, Lysandre quickly figured out there was a lot of time to think. 

He visioned the girls, huddling in the pipe den, talking to one another. Of course, he knew he shouldn’t have responded to Ghetsis’s remarks about the false pedophilia... although he did not regret slapping the Plasma leader’s cheek. But he wondered if that would be charged against him as well, being claimed as a pedophile. Of course, he had no ill intentions for the children, but he knew the police would use it as another reason to kill him. 

Of course, what the others in the group would say didn’t matter, as their words would be manipulated against them. There really was no point in resisting... so why was he trying so hard to stay hidden? He knew they would be found eventually. Everything was going to be worse because of this. He _supposedly_ kidnapped the children, and of course they would make negative assumptions about that. Surely, they would be fair and at least hear them out. 

He turned to the breathing next to him. 

Then again... Ghetsis killed off an entire bounty hunter clan. 

Maybe fairness was too big of a bargain. 

On the other note, he saw Sycamore again. He could vouch that the team didn’t hurt him or his Pokémon. 

Then again.... Ghetsis was the one who treated Sycamore like garbage and threatened to kill him. 

Of course, Sycamore would talk about being abused or something to get the pleasure in seeing the team die. His heart pounded angrily as he replayed the vision of the professor’s fearful face for his betrayal. 

Lysandre didn’t know he was currently growling, as he remembered smashing open the door so hard the lock had broken apart. He had no idea it was locked to begin with. 

Would Sycamore be seasonable and truthfully explain everything that had happened? Or would he just talk about being trapped in his own lab, held at gunpoint, forced to comply with everyone’s wishes? But even if the professor was fair in explaining everything without exaggeration, Hunter would be the other witness in the case, and judging by his picture in the newspaper, he definitely had harsh words to say. Lysandre supposed the children were the only true way of knowing what really happened. 

His hope shattered when he remembered the river. 

Luna almost died because of him, but he wasn’t trying to purposely kill her such as Giovanni did. He even admitted to tossing the girl into the water because of Lysandre’s disobedience to the loyalty to the team or whatever. 

Luna would of course see the team for who they were: evil. Jackie already hated them to start with, and he most likely would tell Sophie about how evil the team was and such. 

There really was no way out. 

“There’s something up ahead, Kalosian.” 

Lysandre squinted in the darkness, and sure enough, there was some sort of movement in the far distance. 

“What do you think it is?” 

The two stealthily hurried along the rusty floor, and Lysandre noticed there were moving shadows along the wall far ahead. But the source of the light to create the shadows was a dark orange hue; fire. 

“Their burning something,” Lysandre noticed, thankful to see what was ahead. 

There was a large metal contraption burning roomfuls of coal, while workers were busy keeping the flames fed. A Charizard was helping in this. In the bright fire light, Lysandre saw sailors climbing up steep metal stairs a hundred feet away. 

“This some sort of engine room,” Ghetsis snarled in Lysandre’s ear. “We need to get to the steps.” 

“We need a diversion. Something to make them not notice us.” 

The two ducked as the Charizard blew a mouthful of flames into the so-called engine, making the whole area glow with light and illuminate the entire bottom of the hull. 

“You’re the more noticeable one. Go out there.” 

“I’m not going out there. You’re the one wearing the stupid cloak thing.” 

“My hair isn’t the one stylized to match his Pokémon’s fur.” 

Lysandre bit his tongue, holding back on retaliating against the Plasma leader despite the anger fuming in his chest, which he figuratively stamped out. He could at least be the more civilized one here. 

“Let’s just find a way to get past the sailors and reach the den.” 

The two dropped themselves lower as the Charizard stopped spewing flames and turned its head to look at the direction where the two men were. Lysandre didn’t care enough to see what he was hiding behind, as he was more focused on hiding fully as the Charizard opened its mouth and allowed flames to fill it, creating a bizarre lamp that threatened to light up the hull. 

“Does he hear something?” 

“Probably something shifting back there.” 

“Refugees?” 

Someone asked something in French, but Ghetsis saw Lysandre didn’t react, and pushed it off as unimportant. He too shifted behind the crate that Lysandre was ducking behind, and glared at the wretched Pokémon that was coming nearer. 

“He doesn’t usually do this, "the supposed owner of the Pokémon said. “Unless like last time where that runaway way found.” 

The Charizard had stopped right before the end of the crate, a mere stretch of the neck away from discovering the two. 

“You don’t think it’s one of the members of Rocket, do you? Who's the pirate? Arnold?” 

“Archie. Besides, what use do they have for a freighter ship?” 

“Ze Pokémon probably hearing ze boat sound. Get rather noizy when travel.” 

“Very true. It’s probably still upset about its best friend dying. I would attend the funeral but they can’t find the body yet.” 

“You knew one of the bounty hunters?” 

“Charlie. Yeah, he was cool. Apparently, my Charizard knew him from the past.” 

Ghetsis’s eye rolled up to see the tips of the fangs just lightly peeking out from the top of the crate. Had it leaned forward, they would have been discovered. 

“Did you hear what happened to the leader? Hunter, is it? Apparently, he survived, and he’s hospitalized.” 

“I heard he died in the ambulance.” 

“That’s fake, Johnny. It said in the newspapers he was recovering.” 

“What happened? I don’t get the news.” 

There was a jumble of commotion as everyone spoke at once. 

“The Galactic leader did it.” 

“No, Plasma. The Galactic one was Cyrus.” 

“They fought—” 

Lysandre heard a proud sniff from Ghetsis as someone said: “Gouged his eyes out.” 

“I heard that Ghetsis ripped off the guy’s ears.” 

“I heard he stabbed him.” 

“I was told that Ghetsis broke both of Hunter’s legs.” 

And all sorts of theories and ideas filled the space in the hull before the sentences slowly untangled as everyone went to catch their breath. 

“He did a poor job, _I_ could have taken them down!” 

“Didn’t they say Ghetsis kill every single one?” 

“I did,” Ghetsis whispered to himself, his breath tickling Lysandre’s ear. 

“Zat is impozzible— how can one man take down entire team?” 

“I think it’s just fake news, there’s _got_ to be a plausible explanation on how _everyone_ on that team dropped like flies. D’you think Hunter was in cahoots to begin with? Seems shady that he’s the _only_ survivor...” 

Ghetsis sputtered, and Lysandre elbowed him hard; the Charizard was still restless and had closed its jaws, allowing smoke to billow out its nostrils as it stayed still, casting their spot to go dark once again. 

“Then they disappear again! I’m hoping our region catches them, Kalos is very adamant about their police force.” 

“They were found in Sycamore’s Labs, right?” 

“Yeah! It’ll be on the news tonight; I hope we can see it.” 

“Wasn’t the professor friends with the team?” 

“Lyzandre. I uzed to own Holo Cazter, but I don’t like him or it.” 

“Didn’t the one leave them? That Giovanni guy?” 

“What made him leave the team?” 

“Probably knew he was outnumbered. Gunned it to keep himself safe.” 

“What doesn’t add up is why they’re keeping the kids alive. Money, maybe?” 

“Maybe. They would be the type to sell innocent children.” 

Lysandre heard enough; he pulled away from the crate as quietly as he could, but Ghetsis grabbed his arm. 

Neither dared to make a sound as the Pokémon was slowly turning back and walking slowly to the sailors, but Ghetsis refused to let go of Lysandre’s arm. They both went still as when the Charizard turned to leave, its flaming tail lit up the men’s hiding spot, filling the wall of their flicking silhouettes. Neither dared to move until the fire was gone, and Ghetsis felt Lysandre’s arm relax slightly under his grip. 

“We need to find a way around them,” Ghetsis hissed. 

“There’s too many; let go.” 

“Oh, no, Kalosian. You got us in here, you get us out.” 

“Then, let’s go back and figure something out.” 

Lysandre’s eyes had adjusted to the light to see that Ghetsis was wearing a grim expression. 

_“_ _You_ figure it out.” 

“Fine. Stay here. I’ll go back.” 

The two were unintentionally squaring up, glaring at each other and allowing the tension rising to become an icy wall. 

“Don’t challenge me, Kalosian.” 

“You told me to figure things out, did you not? Surely, I am a man of my word and you shall listen to me.” 

“I see what you’re doing, here.” 

Lysandre felt something drip onto his shoulder, and he would have ignored it had the liquid not been warm. He and Ghetsis turned to see the Charizard poking its head above the two, growling with its fangs bared, where drool was slowly dripping off its maw and splattering onto Lysandre’s already dirty clothes. Lysandre had turned to look straight up before stepping away from the massive Pokémon and facing it. 

Ghetsis, in the corner of his eye, could see that the group that was talking returned to work, ignoring the Charizard. 

Lysandre slowly reached for his Pokéballs, knowing there was really nothing he could do. His Pyroar was shot and clawed, but would his Gyrados make it? Would he be able to risk it? 

No, it was too big and definitely would be noticed. He stared at the Charizard. Maybe it was just trying to scare them out of hiding. Perhaps the two of them would calmly be able to leave and reveal themselves. 

The Charizard snarled, raised its head, and bellowed out the loudest roar it could muster, spraying the two with ashen saliva as it opened its wings. 

Then it reared its great big head and blew fire. 

* * *

Jackie had no idea how he got his legs to work, but he was thankful he didn’t collapse as he walked with Cyrus down a long hallway. 

He didn’t know what to say, but he had a strong compulsion to say _something_ to Cyrus. But, whenever he opened his mouth, he found it impossible to say anything. 

He remembered getting slapped before tumbling down the steps so vividly... but he didn’t want to bring that up with Cyrus at the moment. He didn’t like mentioning the girls, either, as he just didn’t know what to say about them; their blind trust in the leaders? How they don’t mention the current situation? How they just simply don’t know how dangerous everything is? 

He already voiced his opinion to Cyrus’s perfect universe, even if he thought otherwise. 

_No! He’s trying to fool you. No one wants a perfect world. It doesn’t exist. It can’t exist._

He could bring up the other team leaders, but if he decided to not trust them, he shouldn’t care what happened to them. 

“Hey!” 

Cyrus didn’t stiffen, but his posture locked up in a way that Jackie assumed it was his flight-or-fight response, as he himself had a surge of painful adrenaline that prompted him to run. 

But before they knew what happened, Cyrus was engulfed in a tight bear-hug that challenged the strength of the Galactic leader’s ribs. 

“Cyrus!” Archie whispered harshly, releasing him and holding his shoulders. Jackie noticed how rigid Cyrus had gotten, and half-wondered if he suffered a heart attack from the hug and died stiff as a board. 

“Archie,” Cyrus said blankly, destroying Jackie’s thoughts about the Galactic leader suddenly dying. “How did you find us?” 

“Just lucky, I guess,” Archie answered, before looking around and letting go of Cyrus’s shoulder. “We should get out of here, though.” 

“Where are the others?” Cyrus asked calmly. 

“Maxie is looking for Ghetsis and Lysandre, and we agreed to meet at the pipe den in an hour. But the hour passed by the time it took me to find you. So, we should return as soon as possible.” 

Jackie numbly followed along with the talking group with his mind in a haze, only catching a handful of words that simply slipped out his other ear. 

By the time the three made it to the pipe den, Jackie had collapsed, completely exhausted. 

“You found him!” Sophie rejoiced, hurrying to Jackie’s side. When he didn’t respond to her touch, she shot the leaders a worrying glance. “What’s wrong with him?” 

“He’s exhausted,” Archie said. “Let him rest.” 

“About time you got here,” Maxie said as he walked over from the far corner. “I have not seen Lysandre or Ghetsis.” 

Luna slipped over to sit next to Jackie, petting his messy hair softly. 

“We should make another search party,” Archie suggested. 

“No,” Maxie countered. “This has been too much already. We need to figure out what to do next. We need a plan.” 

“Well, what will we do first?” 

Maxie looked at the tired girls dozing with their fatigued brother, then to the grimy pirate, and then Cyrus, who looked ghastly pale as the flour subtracted a shade of color off his already faded complexion. 

“First, we rest.” 


	11. We Will Decide Without You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maxie wonders if Lysandre is the real problem to the team, but he also wonders if the rest feel the same way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I got the boat descriptions right. I don't think Little Nightmares counts for references.

Luna awoke from her light doze, surprised she couldn't sleep despite her eyes grew sore just to keep open. She could see Maxie, Archie, and Cyrus talking amongst themselves in the furthest corner, nodding and gesturing with whatever they were saying. 

Their voices were a soft jumble of sounds, and Luna found it oddly relaxing to hear as she rolled over on her side to see Jackie's sleeping form. Sophie was behind him, pressing against him for warmth. 

"What if they're found?" Archie's more prominent voice rung out. 

Maxie said something in a low rumble. 

"Are you awake?" Sophie asked, her eyes flicking open as she looked over Jackie's head. 

Luna nodded, figuring out that sleep would be impossible to come by as she found herself too uncomfortable and hungry to be relaxed. 

"I can't sleep," Sophie said, vocalizing Luna's thoughts. 

"Me neither," Luna answered. She wasn't really in the mood for talking, but there wasn't anything else to do, and she had a sneaking suspicion that she would be told to go back to sleep if she stood up and walked around. 

"Do you think Mom's alright?" 

Luna shrugged the best she could while lying on her side. 

"I think she'll be fine. She's always at home." 

Luna nodded, unable to disagree with the logic. Mom's _always_ were there. It would be fine. She probably was waiting for them at the docks, right now! There was no reason to worry! Jackie was just overdramatic, anyway. 

With that thought, Luna gave a soft smile just as her stomach tightened suddenly, relaxing with a loud growl. When was the last time she ate? A giant helping of spaghetti at the lab the Lysandre took them all to. That suddenly felt like ages ago.

"I'm hungry," Sophie said, once again, voicing Luna's thoughts. 

"Me too," Luna agreed. 

In a silent agreement, the two girls rose and looked at the men before trotting to where they were. Maxie and Cyrus's backs were to the girls, while Archie, who was facing the girls, noticed them walking over. 

"Hello, lasses," the pirate greeted the sisters. "Are you alright?" 

"We're hungry," Sophie said, looking at the pirate and holding Luna's hand. 

"Well, I do know where the kitchen is," Archie pointed out, looking over to Maxie. "We can probably take something." 

"I'm not going with you," Maxie confirmed, shaking his head. 

"We can go," Sophie said, raising her sister's hand with her own. 

"No, too risky," Archie said back. "I'll go with you, Maxie. We can go together and plunder. Like old times?" 

He gave an overdramatic sigh as he looked over at Maxie, who was pinching the bridge of his nose. 

"Fine. I'll go." 

They turned to Cyrus, who stepped back. 

"I'll stay here in case the others return." 

* * *

The Pokémon gave another roar as it reared its head, glaring at the two men. However, they were nowhere to be found, but a large, smoldering slab of sheet metal replaced where the two were, held up like a barrier. 

In the mere seconds before frying to death, Ghetsis grabbed the nearest thing and shoved it in front of him, and Lysandre took to it as a shield, saving them both from the fire. It still burned, as it was thin and relatively pliable, but the attack wasn't long, sparing the men from any major burns on their hands. 

But their tiny victory was wiped away as the Charizard bit the top of the sheet metal, plucking from them and raised it several feet into the air before throwing it far off, where it gave a warbled clatter in the darkness. 

Returning to look at the spot where Ghetsis and Lysandre were, it snorted in frustration to see the two were gone. The Pokémon turned to the sound of retreating footsteps, turning to see the two running off back into the darkness. 

It saw the pattern on Ghetsis's robe, and its heart flared in anger. 

_That's the man!_

Ignoring whatever his master was shouting, the Pokémon charged after the two, blowing fire at every chance it could, pleased to see either one just narrowly dodge the flames with agile jumps or nimbly sliding onto the floor. 

"Ghetsis!" Lysandre called out as another wave of heat threatened to combust his backside. "A door!" 

He pointed to a door that revealed itself in the firelight before becoming cloaked in darkness. The two scurried to where they saw the doorway before immediately pawing at the circular handle. 

The fortunate thing about having the furious Charizard trying to kill them was that its tail provided some light, allowing them to faintly see what they were doing. They could see the metal door reflect the fire, and Lysandre gripped the handle tightly. 

"Open the door!" Ghetsis snapped. 

"I'm trying!" Lysandre barked back. 

He twisted it open before the two shoved into the doorway, scrambling to escape the snapping jaws of the Charizard. 

"Lysandre!" Ghetsis called out hoarsely. 

The Kalosian turned around to see the furious Pokémon had caught the back of Ghetsis's robe and was trying to pull the Plasma leader back with sudden, tense jerks of the neck. Ghetsis refused to let go of the doorway, his left hand gripping the doorway with a frightening grip. Lysandre turned and grabbed Ghetsis's left hand, and braced his feet to stop the Pokémon from taking the Plasma leader away as he pulled Ghetsis from the door. 

"Charizard!" Came a voice from down the hall. 

"Get away from me, beast!" Ghetsis spat as Lysandre's grip tightened, refusing to let go as he wrestled in the bizarre tug-of-war. 

With a violent tug, Lysandre wrenched Ghetsis free, tearing his robe while doing so with a loud _r-rr-ii-ii-p!_

The Charizard recoiled back, holding a shred of cloth before getting a door slammed into its snout. 

"Come on, Ghetsis!" Lysandre commanded, running down a well-lit hallway. They turned a corner just as the door they had shut squeaked open. 

"Hurry!" 

"Not there!" 

"Down this way!" 

The two managed to go through another doorway, freezing when they heard voices coming from the end of the hall. The two bumped into each other before going for the nearest door and slipping through it. 

"Sh!" 

"Quickly!" 

The two hurried into a small room, slamming the door shut and panting as they leaned against it. 

"That was close," Lysandre panted, dusting off his suit and turning to face the room, his shoulders dropping as he looked up. "Oh." 

A small female reflected his shocked expression. Her hand trembled to her pocket. 

"Move one more inch, and I'll kill you," Ghetsis threatened, hobbling forward. Lysandre could see the bite taken off of the back of his cloak, several threads blowing behind like wisps of webs. 

The female nodded quickly, her eyes wide and fearful as Ghetsis walked past her. 

"We should throw her overboard," Ghetsis pondered. "Does this room have cameras?" 

He noticed her silence then spun on the spot, leaning over her. 

"DOES IT?!" 

"No! No! No!" She squeaked. "It's just me in here!" 

Lysandre rubbed his chin while his brow furrowed in thought. 

"Silence," he rumbled, looking at the door. "Someone's coming." 

"Quick, girl! Hide us!" Ghetsis snapped before everyone went quiet as footsteps started nearing the doorway. 

"I-I—" 

_"Now!"_

To everyone's horror, the door started to open.

* * *

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Maxie grumbled, angered that his stomach was betraying his thoughts as it growled as he saw several trays of food laying innocently on a long metal table ready for the taking. 

"It'll be easy!" Archie comforted the Magma leader but was immediately silenced by a slap over his mouth. The two ducked behind a table, watching shadows of the cooks in the kitchen dance across the wall. The two team leaders stayed several feet away from the door they entered from, crouching like two stealthy Persians stalking their prey. 

"Let's take some rice," Archie whispered. 

"Rice? But the tray of bread is closer. Look." 

Maxie pointed to a serving tray with loaves of buns waiting to be buttered. 

"We need more than just bread," Archie combatted. "Like meat." 

"I don't see any. Just trays of bread for hungry sailors." 

"You don't need to see it to know it's there." 

Ignoring Maxie's protests, Archie strategically snaked his way through the kitchen, crouching so low his bandana didn't rise above the tabletops. Maxie simply swiped several rolls of bread and stuffed them into his jacket, adjusting the ones on the tray to look like there weren't any missing. 

He impatiently tapped his foot as he watched the shadow of Archie slink across the floor. Maxie decided to step back and stay close to the door. If any of the cooks were looking at the floor, Maxie thought, they surely would have noticed Archie. Judging by the sounds of frying, boiling, and general kitchen ambiance, the Magma leader had to only assume they were too busy prepping the meals for the entire shipload of people to really focus on anything else. 

He felt a tiny pop under his toe and (even though he knew it was impossible) stepped on an electrical circuit or some miniature lightbulb that gave him the smallest sensation of an electrical current. 

Lifting his foot, he was revealed to see a tiny, aggravated Joltik glaring up at him. 

Maxie raised an eyebrow before pushing it away with his foot as if discarding some rubbish, wondering how the Pokémon got on such a ship in the first place. 

It stared at him in the corner before crawling back to his foot, repeatedly bunting his shoe. Maxie wondered if the Joltic was getting its revenge for getting stepped on, and, since he didn't feel anything from the enraged Pokémon, decided to let it go to town. He instead averted his attention to the kitchen, where he could hear the working cooks but couldn't see them. Maxie could occasionally see the shadow of one on the wall before it vanished, and he was left wondering what Archie was currently doing. 

It felt too long waiting for the pirate, and Maxie looked down to see the Joltik crawling up his leg. He simply swept it off and ignored the squeak it gave when it hit the floor. Maxie watched it angrily crawl around his feet before adjusting his jacket and felt the bread inside shift. He shook his coat to shower the ground with crumbs, unaware of the Joltik appreciating the sudden feast. 

"Come on, Archie," Maxie hissed quietly. "Where are you?" 

He folded his arms to see the Joltik had crawled up his arm, crumb in its mouth. 

Maxie rolled his eyes and brushed the Joltik off his person, shaking his head. 

"Maxie!" 

The Magma leader looked away from the Pokémon falling to the floor once more to see Archie carrying several dishes, but Maxie didn't see what was in them as he hurried to escape the kitchen with Archie close behind. The two slunk away, no much more aware of sailors becoming awake and active, and were worried about bumping into one. 

"We need to hurry," Archie said as he continually bumped into Maxie with every other step; they were that close as they snuck down the hallway. 

"I know, stop breathing in my ear," Maxie hissed, glaring ahead. "And stop poking me." 

"I'm not touching you." 

"Yes, you are. I feel you touching the back of my neck." 

"How can I touch you if I'm holding warm meals like my firstborn son?" 

With an impatient sigh, Maxie swiped the back of his neck to feel something small and bristly. Bringing it to his face, he saw the Joltik scrunched up in the palm of his hand. 

"Aw," Archie gushed in such a tone that it was hard to tell if he was serious or not. "It's so tiny!" 

"I'm not babysitting some random Pokémon." 

With that, he pressed the Pokémon onto the wall and walking away before even checking if the Joltik had stuck or not. 

He already had too much on his mind to think about the small things, but he didn't see the Joltik happily hitchhiking onto Archie's arm, scuttling to the dishes of food. Archie's peripheral vision alerted him of the Joltik's presence, and he looked down. 

"Oh, hey, Maxie," Archie grunted. "He's back. And he's going for the food." 

"So, flick him off, Archie," the Magma leader said as he peered around the corner. Luck wasn't on their side; he saw a sailor smoking a cigarette while talking to another companion up ahead. They were in the hallway, walking extremely slow, but at least away from the leaders. 

"I can't move my arms. I'm holding, like, six plates of omurice, here. I _think_ it's omurice, anyway. I can just see eggs." 

Maxie watched the Joltik happily crawl to the meals, its eyes wide with greed. 

Checking to see if the sailors were still meandering in the hallway, Maxie turned and plucked the little Pokémon off, and to his surprise, or rather, amusement, the Joltik burst into tears throwing an itty-bitty tantrum in Maxie's hand. 

"Okay," Archie said as he leaned over to watch the little bug. "Now that's actually pretty adorable." 

Although the two chatty sailors were several feet away, Maxie didn't like how much sound the Joltik could emit and was worried it would cause attention. 

"I should crush it." 

"There's far less morbid ideas, Maxie." 

"Like what? Sing it to sleep?" 

"Feed it. It was crawling to the food in my arms earlier. Which, I might add, is still burning me." 

"Fine. Whatever gets this creature to shut up." 

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a piece of bread, which looked like glorified breakfast rolls on closer expression. It looked too shiny to be simple white and too yellow-coated for rye or wheat. 

Whatever it was, the Joltik loved it instantly, nibbling on the bread hungrily. While Archie found the tiny mandibles amusing, Maxie did not. The only benefit of feeding such a tinycreature was that it passed the time while waiting for the sailors to leave. 

After a while of silence: "You can put the food down, Archie." 

"No, thanks. It'll just be easier to hold." 

Another silence. 

"Maxie?" 

"Yes?" 

"What do you think will happen to us?" 

"Well, we would probably be put in a holding cell before getting put in the most brutal and dangerous prison of all time, that is, if we aren't sent on death row first. They would probably send us all to the chair the moment they find us. That is if we're caught." 

"What about the kids?" 

"What about them? They'll send them to a relative, or if there is none, probably to the world's greatest therapist. Then a foster home or orphanage." 

"I wonder why we brought them with us, rather than leaving them to that professor." 

"You were the one with Lysandre; why didn't you?" 

"I'm not exactly sure why I carried them; it was his idea to take the kids." 

"Archie," Maxie said with more seriousness than his average amount. "We are not going to become a child service. We should stay with the original plan: leave for our own regions." 

"But we aren't monsters, Maxie." 

Maxie raised an eyebrow. In the quick flick on his eyes, Archie understood Maxie; they _were_ monsters. They wanted to change the world their own way. They wanted what _they_ wanted, not wanting to give what was needed: life. They both tried corrupting the world, and, seeing how Kalos was in one piece, had to assume that Hoenn stayed unscathed as well. Had their plans succeeded... 

"I shouldn't have said that," Archie grumbled. The floor under them tilted slightly, and Maxie's jaw clenched tightly at this. However, Archie kept talking, and the Joltik kept gobbling up the bread. 

Before Archie could continue on whatever he was saying, Maxie stared him cold in the eye. 

"Are you with Lysandre, or not?" Maxie cut in. 

Archie stared back with equal intensity; all joviality had disappeared. 

"I don't know. His heart has wondered." 

"Are you with him, or not?" 

"I don't agree with his idea to keep the children," Archie said slowly. "But they can help us for alibis, or the very least, hostages for safe passage." 

"But are you with him?" 

"We are a team, Maxie. We need to stick together, through thick and thin." 

"Archie," Maxie said firmly. "Consider what _makes_ a team. We are here because of Giovanni, and he is now gone. We stayed as a team because we all have an ultimatum: escape. Now, we are following what Lysandre says, and he has the children weighing him down. I personally do not want to continue working with him while they are easy distractions. What good is a leader if they allow themselves to be held down to something that may ultimately be their demise?" 

"They could be fighting for a worthy cause, Maxie. Lysandre may need those children as much as they need him. What if they grow up to be like us: power-hungry, violent criminals?" 

"It is not his duty for the children. From the very start, he cared and listened to them. He is driven not for his own will but what is best for the children. I believe he is becoming soft and has been from the beginning of this whole ordeal." 

"Maybe he's just more paternal than us all. Cyrus won't have enough emotional attachment to begin with. Ghetsis is a horrible person in general, so being a father won't be his expertise. I don't even remember what Giovanni's son's name is, and I honestly don't know if Giovanni himself knows. You and I have no need to settle just yet—" 

"Don't say it like that. You made it sound like we're together." 

"—You and I haven't met the right woman yet." Archie corrected. "We have no need for children at the time, and we need to focus on the bigger stakes here. If you ask me, Lysandre is the best for daddy material." 

_"Really_ don't say that." 

"My point is, Lysandre needs the children, Maxie. They balance him." 

"And my point is that Lysandre may need them, but they also can distract him, and even us. We either need to leave the children here, take Lysandre with us, or let Lysandre stay with them, but we leave. Are you on his side?" 

"We should talk with Cyrus about this first." 

"No, Archie, not 'we.' I have already decided. _You_ talk to him. It's your decision to decide to stay with me and return to Hoenn, or stay with Lysandre and whoever decides to follow him." 

"I will talk to Cyrus about it," Archie said sternly. But Maxie could see the look in the pirate's eyes that he already had decided. 

"You want to convince Cyrus, you mean," Maxie said. 

There was a silence between them, then Archie nodded somberly. 

"I am not with him." 

* * *

"The children were not hurt," Sycamore said as at least twenty microphones were crammed in his face, competing for his voice. "No one was hurt during the stay." 

He did know one of the girls had a concussion, but he knew if he brought it up, the crowd in front of him would overreact to the point that Sycamore wouldn't get a word in edgewise. He wouldn't be able to explain anything else, he figured, if the news people were louder than he was. Although he personally would not mind taking a break of drying his throat out from the constant talking. 

"What about the bruise on your shoulder?" A reporter asked before Sycamore even finished his sentence. "And your chest?" 

The professor gave a look of disgust as he rubbed his chest, clearly in disbelief that the reported even knew about the bruises. "That was nothing major. He did not mean to hurt me—" 

"But you _were_ manhandled?" 

"I didn't say that," Sycamore snapped back, glaring at whoever asked the question. 

"You said 'he,' did you not? Who was it?" 

"I'm not sure it would really matter." 

There was an outrage of questions and comments, but the professor kept an excellent poker face before the voices calmed down. He suddenly felt safer with the two police officers flanking him. He knew the fragile stability of the crowd could easily shatter into a riot. 

"Where were they headed?" 

"Who hurt you?" 

"Did the children appear to be safe?!" 

"Why is the door to your office broken?" 

"Why did they go to your lab specifically?!" 

"I—" 

"Could you have stopped the children from getting taken?" 

"Did they mention anything about Charlotte?" 

The professor took a step back, looking at the greedy cameras and competing microphones, and took a breath. What would he even say? _This isn't about me,_ he thought. _It's about the children._

He stepped forward and squared his shoulders. 

"I do not know where they took the children," he answered truthfully while staring into the lens of a camera. He could see a glossy reflection of himself and looked into the reflection's eyes as he spoke. "I do not know where they are. The children are unharmed, and I do not know where Charlotte went." 

"Professor Sycamore had spoken," a news lady said as the screen cut to her. "While his lab is still under heavy investigation. Blood had been found in the sink, and a sample has been sent to a DNA lab for testing. There also were bloodied bandages and tissues found in the trashcan, and samples were also sent to a lab for testing." 

She stared somberly into the camera. 

"Charlotte Suzuki is still missing, and a search team of a hundred and fifty people was sent out to find her. If you know anything about this..." 

A number appeared on the screen, but Hunter just mindlessly picked at his fish with his chopsticks, pushing the flesh around. 

"... The funeral for the bounty hunters will be held this Friday, as the missing bodies have been found in the river, over five miles from the mansion..." 

He raised a bit to his mouth as his stomach ached in hunger before flooding with guilt and anger, and he lowered the pasty flesh back to his plate. Every time he hungered, he remembered everything that happened, from his Luxray to Ghetsis to the blood swarming his vision and his skull shattering in pain, and those thoughts alone destroyed any appetite he had gained. This had been going on for four days, and he wanted to do nothing but see again. He could find Ghetsis and end him. Kill the whole lot the Plasma leader was associated with. 

He could have killed Lysandre right then and there, too. The stupid leader was _right_ there, for Arceus's sake! 

_"I didn't want to leave them," Lysandre sighed. "They were so helpless and lost when they came to the mansion. But I couldn't abandon them even during our escape, Although I probably should have left them to you and your bounty hunters. They would have given the appropriate help."_

Hunter replayed the scene in his head. 

_"...Although I probably should have left them to you and your bounty hunters. They would have given the appropriate help."_

He could have left the children to him, Hunter, and his group. _They,_ not him individually. _"...They would have given the appropriate help."_

He didn't say _"...I probably should have left them to you and your bounty hunters. You would have given the appropriate help."_ He said _they_ would. _Was it because he knew I, as a person, broke my own rules to kill him? But you didn't kill him, you stood there gawking at him, and you lost the battle. That's because you failed what you were trying to do. Did Lysandre know I wasn't_ right _for them? No, you're overthinking this._

But every other thing he thought of brought him back to fighting Ghetsis. If he just shot Lysandre, he would have succeeded in resisting the Plasma leader, and he may have ultimately won. All he needed to do was pull the trigger. 

But why did it seem impossible to do so? 

He perked up, hearing his own name, which came from the television. 

"Hunter Daisuke will be able to provide answers to some questions but is still in the hospital recovering from a broken leg, fractured spine, and gouged eyes. Although slow, recovery is a promise, and he will be put in physical therapy in a matter of weeks." 

There was music, and Hunter assumed they were showing pictures of him or doing a very dramatic transition to another reporter. 

"While Giovanni appears to the clip you see here," _ha, ha,_ Hunter thought bitterly. "The group may have followed suit and split their own separate ways after their stay with Augustine Sycamore." 

The screen showed an exhausted professor getting escorted away from the crowd before zooming in on him walking. 

"Professor!" A lone cameraman called out as she broke from the group, rushing to his side. "Professor Sycamore! How did the group leave with the children? What happened in the lab?" 

"I don't know where they would have gone or if they're still in their team," Sycamore said. "I assume they'll split up since they mentioned leaving to their own regions." 

"Were the children used as hostages?" 

"No, I was able to see them and talk to them." 

"What did they say?" 

"They told me some things that happened in the mansion." 

"Please specify what they said!" 

The dark circles under Sycamore's eyes helped him resemble a Pancham. 

"I already said what they told me. Now, please, I want to sleep. Excuse me." 

Hunter wasn't really listening to the news while he stirred the now mushy paste around on his plate. 

"Ghetsis Harmonia..."' 

Hunter shot up from hearing the Plasma leader's name and accidentally snapped his chopsticks. 

"...The deadliest in the group is what police say, but it is argued that Giovanni may be the more dangerous one. The debates are strong, as it is shown in this image of Ghetsis holding a gun to Jackie's head." 

If he could jump to his feet in anger, he would have as he figured out where his missing gun went. 

"While Giovanni is still missing, it is highly advised to avoid contact with these men. If you find anything out about the location of this team, do _not_ contact them. Call the police immediately. If Ghetsis could singlehandedly take down the leader of—" 

Hunter flung his plate of glop with insane accuracy against the television. Hunter did not care whether the plate shattered or the screen did first, as the tears fell before the glass. 

* * *

He did not know how to handle this. 

Luna was crying; her face was red and splotchy, and she just didn't want to sleep with Sophie and Jackie. Sophie grew bored playing games with Luna and started to nap with Jackie who was still out cold. She wasn't shouting, but she may as well have. If anything, she was giving Cyrus a headache. 

When were Maxie and Archie returning? 

"Silence, child," Cyrus said in a neutral tone. 

"I'm s-scared!" She would wail over and over again, her sobs threatening to be heard. Cyrus was almost tempted to leave her, but he did say he would stay until someone came back, and he was not a liar. 

He looked down at her. 

"What are you afraid of?" 

If he could understand her through the sobs, it would be way easier to communicate with her. Children were such frail creatures. So easy to make mistakes and become flawed. 

After what felt like three minutes of ear-grating hiccups, sobs, and whimpers, he finally made out "scared" and "alone." 

That could mean many things, Cyrus figured. She could be scared of being alone. A simple fear almost every average person had. 

But that also ruled out the factors of her brother and sister. If she meant entirely alone, as in her siblings died, there was no need to cry as they were in healthy condition and would not die anytime soon. Therefore her being scared of that was pointless. 

There was point two: the fear of being alone without a parent figure. The newspaper never mentioned a father, so he either died, disappeared mysteriously, and was still trying to be found, or had been cut off from the family a while ago. 

Even if her mother was never found, there would be foster care or something to take them in, and she would have to be used to someone new. Better than having no mother at all, anyway. 

She also could mean if the ship tragically sank and she was the only survivor. Or she meant being alone from Lysandre. Finding what a child wanted was almost impossible. 

She hugged Cyrus's leg tightly, and he stared at her with a cold gaze. 

"I'm not here for your emotional support, child." 

"What if Lysandre dies?" Was what Cyrus finally pieced together after over five minutes of mumbled hiccupping and ferocious sobs. 

"Then he dies." 

That made Luna cry louder, and Cyrus didn't like the idea of being found because of an over-emotional little girl. If she was just able to be unblemished, he wouldn't have to consider getting found. 

He really didn't want to do what he was going to do, but the thought of getting found by some brat would be worse. Whatever it took to make her shut up. 

He fished in his jacket with the expression of retrieving an obituary before fishing out a small furry-looking toy.

He looked displeased as he offered it to Luna, who immediately accepted it. When she realized what it was, she smiled.

It was a Litleo plushie.

"Thank you," she finally was able to mumble through noisy tears. 

He shook his head while clenching his jaw, thankful she let go of his leg and was more interested in the meaningless toy. 

He quickly hugged it, stroking the little tuft of fur on its head, and (finally) calmed down. He watched Luna play with the Litleo plush, which, while it was a colossal waste of time, at least kept Cyrus's mind slightly occupied, even if it was mindless drivel. 

"Cyrus," Maxie called out as he slid down the ladder. It seemed like ages since he left, but Cyrus knew he was gone realistically about over an hour. "Sorry it took us so long. There were these two sailors that took forever to leave." 

"We got breakfast!" Archie boomed as he ignored the ladder entirely and jumped right into the small chamber, making a loud _thud_. Somehow, the plates were not disturbed from the fall. 

While Luna woke up her siblings, Archie and Maxie took Cyrus to speak in private as the children went to eat. (Maxie had taken the rolls and put them with the dishes earlier). 

"Cyrus," Maxie said, looking at the Galactic leader solemnly and dropping his voice. "We cannot follow Lysandre." 

"Maxie and I have decided that we're not going to continue with him when we dock. Those children are making things worse for us, and Lysandre is going deeper in the grave the longer he's with them." 

"These children are distractions," Maxie hissed, watching the children eat breakfast in the corner of his eye. "Look where we are now because of them. I say we need to cut ties now. If Lysandre wants to father them, good for him, but we aren't mimicking his mistake. We need to leave the same way we entered: alone." 

"Those children can also help us for alibis," Cyrus said. "The longer they see our better intentions, the better it is for us. Besides, I have my own ideas to go to Sinnoh when the time comes." 

"But the children already have become too many distractions for us!" Maxie aggressively counted his fingers, unaware of a little Joltik resting on his shoulder. "You had to keep an eye on Luna while she was sick! Lysandre got his leg chopped off! We had to keep the stupid brats entertained instead of leaving stealthily! The hunters probably wouldn't have tried to kill us if we just left the brats locked in a room!" 

"It wasn't that bad," Archie admitted, seemingly reconsidering his decision. 

_"Tea party?_ Come _on_ , Archie," Maxie huffed. _"I had to see Lysandre naked, for Arceus's sake!!_ That never would have happened if we didn't have the brats!!!" 

Archie and Cyrus went silent as Maxie angrily shouted at them everything that seemed to be captive in his thoughts like a volcano finally expelling all the magma. 

"We're stuck on a boat! Why? Because we were originally stuck on a plane! And we had plenty of time to dump these brats off! The mansion! The forest! The plane! The lab! The docks! Now, they're stuck with us because of Lysandre! We can't keep going through like this! We can't just keep relying on luck to bail us out after Lysandre decided to do something with the brats in mind!" 

After catching his breath, he looked at Cyrus. Sweat dripped down his forehead, but he was more focused on Cyrus to care. The Galactic leader opened his mouth to speak, but he turned to see Luna approaching them while hugging her plushie. Instantly, the three went quiet while looking down at her. 

"When is Lysandre coming back?" She managed to squeak. 

"I don't know," Maxie grumbled. "Maybe one of us should search for them." 

"You don't suppose they didn't kill each other?" Archie asked, turning to the other two. 

"Very possible," Cyrus replied to the men before turning to Luna. "We do not know." 

She slunk away, squeezing her plushie, which was not unnoticed. 

"Where did she get that?" Archie asked, frowning while rubbing his beard. "I don't remember seeing that toy before." 

Maxie seemed to make a connection. 

"I guess that means you have decided, Cyrus." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maxie was originally going to kill the Joltik, but I decided against it since I don't know Maxie's character enough to think of it as something he would do.
> 
> Also, don't ask where Cyrus gets his things, it'll be explained later.


	12. Don't Kill Me Slow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are deaths on this boat, arrrr.  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to work on my actual homework. *proceeds to work on chapter 13*

"It's been a 'upple of hours," Archie said through a mouthful of scrambled eggs. "Thin' we should send someone to 'ind 'em?" 

"No," Maxie said almost immediately, staring at his own plate and picking at the chunks of filling with his fingers. It didn't occur to them to grab silverware during their heist. 

Cyrus stared at his omurice, his eyes narrowed slightly as he was deep in thought. 

Archie looked over to the children to see them dead asleep with empty plates laying on the ground before turning to Cyrus, who felt the gaze and looked over. 

"You should reconsider," the pirate goaded, wiping his mouth. 

Cyrus shook his head. 

"I have decided, and it is final." 

"But _why_ , Cyrus?" Maxie asked, lowering his own dish. "What do you expect in his scenario? What do you want to gain?" 

"I want my views of the universe to be made." 

"On a less broad scale." 

Cyrus stared at his cooled food. 

"I want to return to Sinnoh." 

"You can stay back with us." 

Cyrus was quiet, thinking it through. 

"Think about it, Cyrus," Maxie continued. "Lysandre may need those kids, but we don't. You, me, Archie... we can go the way we planned back home." 

Cyrus looked at the children, then to the men. 

"I have already decided," he said firmly, his fist slightly clenching. 

"Why, Cyrus?" Archie asked. "Why choose his side?" 

"I do not see it as sides," Cyrus said as he set his plate of hardly-eaten food down next to him. He turned to Archie and spoke as if discussing a critical business deal, his hands coming together. "That sounds like needless competition for a child's game. I am not competing with you, nor am I fighting you. I am staying with Lysandre for his intellect on this needless journey." 

"Intellect?" Archie snorted. "His whole dang intellect is the reason why we're here!" 

"And he will get us out," Cyrus responded. 

"How can he when he has three nuisances to take care of?" 

"Having children may also help." 

"Oh, yeah," Maxie mumbled bitterly. "Because this is _so_ helpful right now. Trapped on a hunk of junk in the middle of the freaking sea." 

"C'mon, Cy... just consider the options you have here." 

Cyrus turned to Luna, who was clutching the toy, still watching her as he spoke. 

"I have already decided." 

"Alright, but just answer this," Maxie said as he too watched the little girl sleeping. "How did you get a plushie? We were nowhere near a store." 

"Consider the question of 'why,'" Cyrus answered. "The child is fragile and weak. Children need small things to keep them happy, or at least appeased when they are tormented—" Archie coughed, thinking of the stuffed Kyogre he left back in the mansion. "—and Jackie already gotten upset. He needed counseling, from what I noticed. He talks out his problems and thinks them out. Sophie, she is similar. Whines and complains, and vocalizes her problems, where Luna is quiet and reserved. She needs something to latch onto, and she chose Lysandre for this. When he is gone, she gets distressed, and worries... and I refused to become a magnet for her episodes of emotional distress. Here, with a small useless toy, she can use her imagination and talk to it when she has the need to do so." 

"So... you got a plushie," Archie summarized. 

Cyrus sighed and turned to look at the children. 

"Well, then, Cyrus," Maxie said. "I think you should look for Lysandre and Ghetsis. They been gone for at least three hours, now." 

"Give 'em time, Archie said. "They're probably on their way back right now." 

The three stood up in a long, uncomfortable silence. 

* * *

"Boss! We're so glad to see you!" 

"Jessie. James. I have a critical mission for you." 

"Anything you say, we will do!" 

"Working hard, it's very true!" 

"Meowth—" 

_"Silence!"_

The three members of Team Rocket leaned closer to the screen, focused on their boss. It was impossible to see where he was, as the background was completely black. Giovanni himself looked blurred at the edge; the screen at what he was talking to was his only light source. 

"This is a very urgent mission," Giovanni continued with the harshness still rattling his voice. 

"We're all ears," Jessie said. 

"There's a Pokécrematorium, the Pokécremation Center. It isn't far from you. I need you to get in there and steal a Luxray. It died by getting its entire head penetrated from a sword." 

Meowth's jaw dropped. 

"Dat's the mission, boss?" 

"Yes." 

"Not to be nosey, but what does that have to do with anything?" James asked in a genuinely curious but cautious tone. He knew asking about missions could be disastrous, depending on the boss's mood. 

"If you're going to waste time, I'll send Cassidy and Butch instead." 

"No!" James called out immediately, before realizing what he done in the few painful seconds and tried to fix himself. "I just wanted to know if you needed the Luxray to get back at Lysandre, you know, like chopping off its head and putting it in his bed. Or, if you already got your revenge and need the Luxray as some sort of trophy." 

"My revenge just started, James," Giovanni said in a tone of savored maliciousness. "And that Luxray is just one of the things I need for it to begin." 

"Boss?" Jessie asked. "When we do get it, how will we give it to you?" 

"Focus on getting it first. Then call me when you have it." 

The video cut out, and Jessie, James, and Meowth stood staring at themselves in the darkened screen. 

"Well, I guess we should get going," Jessie said. 

"I'm not looking for'ward to dis," Meowth grumbled. "It's fine when da Pokémon's awake, but it's weird seeing dem dead n' glassy-eyed." 

"We'll do our best to hurry through this," James said, patting his friend on the head before standing up straight. "But I wonder why the boss wants something dead over useful weapons or plans." 

"He's just a man of mystery." 

The three got ready for their plan, both eyeing the silent Meowth. 

* * *

"It's already becoming nighttime, "Archie said. "Someone should go find them." 

"Maybe they did die," Maxie thought. 

Jackie had awoken a few times throughout and returned sleeping each time. It was very obvious he had caught what Luna had. 

"Cyrus, you should find him," Archie said. "You're easily the quietest." 

Sophie appeared out of nowhere, pouncing on Maxie's back and making his glasses slide off his face where they slipped on his lap. 

"Gotcha!" She shrieked in his ear. 

"What is _wrong_ with you, child?!" Maxie snapped, twirling around to glare at Sophie, who was clutching something in her hands. 

"Look!" She beamed, holding the Joltik in the Magma leader's face, almost poking out an eye. "I saw it on you!" 

"Get that wretched thing out of here!" He snapped, his voice a dangerous snarl. 

Sophie looked shocked, clutching the Joltik closely to her chest. 

"Stay out of my sight!" 

Sophie looked like she was on the verge of tears, and her bottom lip quivered. She rushed away with choked sobs. 

"We should find the two," Archie said as he leaned over to face an irate Maxie. "Do you mind, Cyrus?" 

"I do not." 

"C'mon, Maxie. You can clear your head." 

"I'm not going, Archie." 

Cyrus and Archie made eye contact, but neither said anything. They could hear Sophie crying, and Cyrus silently sighed. 

"Maxie," he said stoically. "You hate the ocean, and you hate this boat. Thinking about it will only make your thoughts worse. If you go with Archie, it'll at least give you something to do." 

Maxie thought on this, then nodded unenthusiastically as he pushed his glasses back on his face.

"You'll be away from the kids," Archie goaded. 

"Alright," Maxie said, standing up and tipping his empty plate over. "Let's go." 

Cyrus was yet again left watching the children while Archie and Maxie climbed up the ladder, hurrying out of view. 

"Where do you think they could have gone? You know boats the best, Archie. I'm sure there's something we can follow here." 

The two hurried along with the metal interior with Maxie's fuming comments trailing behind. There was really not much to say, but Maxie's attitude did loosen the longer they walked. 

They descended narrow steps and froze when they heard voices. It went silent then loud, rumbling laughter came loudly nearby. The two leaders slipped through a doorway, away from the voice before slinking across in the limited shadows, doing their best to stay quiet. 

"We should turn back," Maxie said after some time of stalking around. "I don't know where they could have gone." 

"Maybe we should descend to the hull to see if they actually did die," Archie said back, staring ahead before his brow crinkled into a frown. "If I were a Lysandre or Ghetsis... where would I be?" 

Maxie rolled his eyes. 

"Help me think, Maxie!" Archie covered one eye. "Hmm... I'm a creepy sadistic sociopath and hate everyone. I would most likely be creeping along the... hallway!" 

Archie jumped into the nearest hallway with his arms outstretched to reveal nothing but emptiness. 

Maxie raised an eyebrow. 

Archie suddenly stood up straight and walked with long strides. 

"I'm a rich businessman..." his voice faded as he slowed and he went silent. 

"Don't tell me we've been caught," Maxie muttered into the palm of his hand. He had been forcefully pinching the bridge of the nose. And judging how red it was becoming, he had been doing so for quite some time. 

"Sh!" 

Maxie peeked up, looking across from his fingers. He saw nothing but a disgusting hallway with a couple of doors on each side. Aside from a sleeping Zubat on the ceiling that suspended itself upside down, there was nothing to focus on. 

"Archie—" Maxie huffed walking up to the pirate before getting his lips mashed with a pointer finger. 

"Sh!" 

They heard cries of pain. There were grunts and vocalized vowels of someone forced to exclaim with nothing to say, then something glass broke. 

The two hurried to a door that was left ajar before something heavy on the inside slammed against it and pushed it open a bit more. Maxie peered in, to see a room completely trashed. It looked like a glorified office; there was a metal desk attached to the wall, while a chair was shattered apart and bits were spread across the floor. A lamp lay shattered in the corner, while three lockers stood in the corner next to a filing cabinet. 

But Maxie wasn't focused on the interior. He was, instead, able to watch a full-grown man rise to his feet and hurry back to the center of the room, where he violently attacked Lysandre. Ghetsis was using the objects to fight against two sailors at once, while a petite female was trembling like a leaf in the corner, hands to her face and eyes wide with fear. 

Maxie was able to gather this all in before feeling a familiar chin hover right above his head. 

"I had enough!" One sailor called out, throwing a Pokémon ball into the air. "Seviper! Poison Fang!" 

In a flash of light, a large, intimidating snake emerged with its mouth open as it lurched at Ghetsis, who was able to fend off the attack with a broken piece of furniture. 

"Don't kill them!" A sailor with sandy hair called out as he and Lysandre were busy trying to break from a grapple. However, calling out caused him to become distracted, and Lysandre used the mere seconds to grab the man by his head and smash it against his knee with a stomach-churning _crack!_ The sailor fell but did not rise. 

Seeing this, the Pokémon's master was enraged, pointing to his Seviper. 

"Seviper! Do not stop! End them!" 

The snake rounded on Ghetsis again, its tail shining before swinging down onto the Plasma leader, who gave a dangerous look as he blocked it with his cane, the sharp weapon and bladed tail collided with a loud _clang!_ That even caused a few sparks to shower down from the impact. 

"Kill them all!" 

Maxie stayed rooted on the spot, witnessing Ghetsis's battle, unable to move or speak as the Plasma leader refused to lose. 

He swung his cane around so quickly that it was nothing but a blur of light before it plunged into the scaley skin of the Seviper, who hissed angrily back, striking with an open mouth to sink its deadly fangs into Ghetsis's heart. 

Maxie's eyes widened as he saw what happened next. 

Ghetsis's sword plunged deep into the Seviper's skull, breaching the other side in a mess of bloodied silver. The snake thrashed in pain, swinging the blade of the tail haphazardly in every direction, slicing through the air and occasionally the skin. The Plasma leader freed his weapon by dragging it through the skull, wrenching it free right between the nostrils, showering himself with blood in the process. 

He turned to look in the room to see that Lysandre had used one of the sailors as a shield from the tail; the sailor's back had multiple lacerations, and he kept gasping for air as blood gushed down his legs and onto the floor, where it was tinted purple with poison. 

Lysandre dropped the sailor on his back, where he coughed out blood, tears in his eyes. 

"I can't move," he choked. "Snake... severed my spine..." 

He choked some more, frothing at the mouth. 

"Please..." 

Lysandre and Ghetsis leaned over, their eyes holding an emotionless stare. 

"J- just kill me..." the man begged, tears running down his face and pooling into his hair. 

"No," Ghetsis answered coldly. "I will have you live these painful hours begging death to come. I will enjoy listening to your rattling breath and relish knowing that you will be stuck in your own body. The last thing you will hear will be my laughter— hey, what are you doing?!" 

Lysandre had grabbed Lysandre's cane and snatched it from his grip, slamming his shoulder into the Plasma leader and pushing him back. In the few seconds to spare, the mighty Kalosian rose the sword to his shoulder where the tip pointed to the sky before swinging it down into the throat of man and immediately separated his head from his body. 

"Lysandre!" Ghetsis snarled venomously. 

"There was no justice in letting him suffer. That's sadistic." 

"He would have lived his last few minutes seeing our faces," Ghetsis growled darkly, gripping his cane tightly. "It would have been better that way." 

"Better? In whose eyes, exactly? Your sadistic ones?" 

"He deserved a slow death!" 

"Ghetsis," Lysandre said in a tone of grave warning. "Every man deserves his dignity. Do not take it for your own pleasure even at his death." 

The two men turned to the girl who was checking the one sailor's vital signs; the one Lysandre knocked out. 

"We can't let her tell anyone," Lysandre said. 

"Are you going to kill me?" she squeaked, tears running down her face. 

Lysandre shook his head. 

"There's no reason to." 

"Pussycat!" Ghetsis snarled. "What's gotten into you?! There's reason to kill her— look around you!" 

The mighty Kalosian looked at the blood under his shoe. 

"Exactly," Ghetsis continued. "There will be no witnesses." 

With a swift stride, Lysandre took to steps to reach the girl, who cowered so hard her quaking could be heard. It was alarming how his hand blurred against her skull before she crumpled to the ground. Her sides could be seen moving, and the Plasma leader curled a lip. 

"You let her live." 

"I did." 

The Flare leader gave a silent sigh, grabbed the sailors by their shirts, and dragged them across the ground to the lockers, making them paint the ground with blood in messy smears. 

He effortlessly shoved each one into the separate lockers before closing them with a tight _click._

Glaring, he bumped past Ghetsis and walked to an overturned coat rack that was leaning against the wall and yanking off a small blue jacket. Stepping out of the puddle of blood, he wiped the bottom of his shoes and threw the jacket away before walking to the doorway, catching Maxie and Archie's gaze. 

Brushing the nonexistent hair out of his face, Lysandre pushed past the Aqua and Magma leader with Ghetsis close behind. 

He closed the door before turning to the two leaders, ignoring Ghetsis at his side. 

"Are the children alright?" 

Maxie gave a noticeable side-glance with Archie before the two turned to the Kalosian. 

"Yes," Maxie answered. "Jackie is sleeping off a bug, while the other two are fine." 

"We have food for you," Archie offered. 

"I wouldn't call it 'food,' more so a tasteless concoction people eat only because it's the only option to ingest." 

Archie broke into a wide smile then gave Lysandre a tight hug, squeezing his middle. 

"You're back!" The pirate cheered into the Flare leader's chest. 

"We better hurry," Maxie said sternly. "Before we get caught." 

Archie led the group away from the closed door, and Lysandre kept noticing that Archie shared glances with Maxie that only the two understood. 

* * *

"Wait, what's that?" a female sailor asked as she tugged the cloth free from the Charizard's jaws. It was smoldering, but she knew that texture and pattern anywhere. "Arceus, help us." 

Gripping the fabric tightly, she bolted through the ship to the control room. Had she paid attention to her surroundings, she would have seen four members of Rainbow Rocket turning the corner, disappearing from sight. 

She didn't stop running until she slammed open the door to a radio room. 

There was the hum of wires and beeps, while two men were talking softly before abruptly stopping when the door was opened. One was wearing headphones attached to the radio, and he stared at her with mild surprise. 

"I have a message," she panted through wheezed gasps as she leaned against the doorway, her eyes wide open and lips ajar. 

"I'm sorry, Becky. What?" 

He violently shook the cloth in her hand as if trying to wave away a poisonous gas with it. 

_"I have a message!"_

"Is that—" 

The one male who wasn't on the radio quickly stepped aside to allow Becky to hurry over to the messenger man, who stayed sitting as he turned some dials and nobs. 

"Tell me what you need to say." 

*** 

— • •— ——/ •—• •— •• —• —••• ——— •——/ •—• ——— —•—• —•— • —/ ——— —•/ — •••• •/ •—•• • —•—• •—• •• •••— •— •• —•/ —• •/ —•—• ——— —• —• •— •• —/ •——• •— •••/ •—•• •/ ••—• •—• •— —• —•—• •— •• •••/ ••• • —• —••/ •••• • •—•• •——•/ ——— —•/ —•• ——— —•—• —•—/ 

* * *

"Chief Harlow!" 

The old police chief looked away from the meeting, gripping the podium as many police officers irritably turned to the distraction. 

"I'm in an important meeting here, this concerns Charlotte." 

"Team Rainbow Rocket is found!" 

The room went dead silent. 

‘L'écrivain ne connaît pas le français sent a message, and they have the team on board.” 

Cassidy and Butch stayed in the back, looking at each other discreetly. 

They almost were caught; as the two police officers were found tied to a tree had been recovered. However, Cassidy and Butch had ambushed them from behind, leaving the two officers in the dark on who actually knocked them out. Luck was on their side, as there actually _were_ new recruits who joined the team, a girl and guy, ironically. 

Cassidy and Butch were able to frame the new recruits, who were currently under investigation. The two Team Rocket members narrowly avoided capture and were able to stay undercover for a bit. Granted, they knew they would be sniffed out, but they needed to stay hidden for as long as possible. 

"They require help on the docks," the messenger continued. "They come in next week. That's when they want you to come in and catch them." 

Chief Harlow nodded, his brow narrowing together tightly. 

"We will have a plan ready when the boat comes in." 

Cassidy and Butch refrained from looking at each other to avoid suspicion as the chief started explaining their new plan. The two painfully sat through other officer's questions and critiques, trying so hard not to raise any suspicion. 

Finally, when the day was over and the moon had risen, when Cassidy and Butch hurried under the stars and into an empty warehouse, where immediately contacted Giovanni. 

The screen lit up and hummed, before the darked face of Giovanni came into view. 

"Boss!" Cassidy exclaimed. "The team has been found. They're on a boat back to Alola. The whole police force is going to be there to take them into custody." 

Giovanni said nothing. 

"What should we do, boss?" Butch asked, staring at the stoic face of the Rocket leader. "The boat doesn't come in until next week, and the police are already setting up a plan." 

There was a moment of silence before Giovanni spoke. 

"Get me reports on each and every officer. I want all their data on where they live and who they are. You have until the start of next week. Any later and you failed." 

"Yessir!" Cassidy and Butch said in unison before the screen flickered off. 

"How will we start?" Butch asked as Cassidy hid the monitor under a moldy tarp that was abandoned in the corner. 

"We start by going back to simple thievery." 

* * *

Cyrus looked up to see an exhausted Lysandre and Ghetsis limping down the ladder and walking into the small depression of a room. 

"Still standing with him?" Archie asked softly as he stopped walking to stand next to the Galactic leader. They watched Lysandre sit down against the wall, pulling up his pant leg to see a peek of burgundy-stained bandages around his calf. 

"I am." 

"Why, Cyrus?" The pirate continued. 

"There is no need to tell you if you yourself are on the brink of separate decisions." 

"I already decided," Archie replied, stepping in front of Cyrus and gesturing. "I'm with Maxie." 

"I'm not going to argue with you, Archie," Cyrus said coldly. "I have my choice, and you have yours." 

The pirate walked away to sit on a pipe, looking rather isolated as everyone congregated in a far corner. 

"Where did you guys go?" Maxie asked as he eyed the bitemark on the back of Ghetsis's collar. 

"Well," Ghetsis began darkly, glaring at the Kalosion who was glaring back. "After Lysandre shoved me over the stupid ledge, we had been stuck in the dark before almost burning to death because Lysandre blew our cover, before we managed to escape." 

"Your lies will catch up to you, Ghetsis," Lysandre bitterly said, refusing to let his anger get the better of him again. He left the conversation and sat down next to the children, feeling Jackie's temperature with his hand. 

Archie and Maxie looked at each other, unsure if they should ask Ghetsis if he was on Lysandre's side or not. It was clear their animosity was there, but it was noticeable that the two were together in a room without one forcing the other to stay. They both willingly stayed with each other. Maybe it was because enemies will unite when fighting a common enemy, but it would have been easier to separate. There was a reason they stayed together despite their personal hatred. 

Maxie thought about the fight in the room. 

Ghetsis clearly enjoyed watching the losing side suffer. He wanted the sailor to bleed out, his last minutes "without dignity" as Lysandre put it. He could tell the Plasma leader would relish seeing the fate drip away from the sailor through each passing minute. 

Lysandre had other ideas for death. Was it because the man begged for death, that Lysandre didn't like the suffering? Or was it because the wet, choking gasps and the frightened, bulgy eyes deemed ugly to the Kalosian? Was it a coincidence? Or did Lysandre really not savor the slow, painful suffering before the inevitable death? 

Maxie thought of a Pyroar swiping its prey down, snapping the neck to do so. At least big cats could easily take down their prey. The thought of big cats rolled Maxie's thought to Giovanni's Persian. 

It had been commanded to strike the back of Lysandre's leg, he remembered from what the Kalosian told him while stuck in the bed. The Persian struck down the enemy's strong point, ultimately taking him down. 

Was Giovanni the same as Ghetsis, in allowing their enemy to suffer with little to no remorse or regret? Or was it because Giovanni needed to get a point across? 

If Giovanni had replaced Ghetsis, would he too deny the sailor the sweet release of death? Or would he be like Lysandre and end the suffering right then and there? 

Maxie thought about the lab, what was it? Sycamore Lab? Either way, he noticed how tense Lysandre got whenever Ghetsis waved the gun at the professor. Would the Kalosian have done the same? Threaten death on a former friend? Maxie knew there was no reason to actually _kill_ the professor... but if it was the team's lives on hand, would Lysandre pull through and kill someone he knew? Or would he simply take the fall? 

He looked over at the Kalosian who was intently listening to Luna who was showing him the little plushie. Her hair was disheveled and her clothes were starting to fray. He could see the softness in the Kalosian's eyes, narrowing his eyes. 

He knew what Lysandre was capable of. But would he still be the same in his fighting? His strategies? His character as a whole? 

_Would you still be able to fight for what's right, Lysandre? Or will the children get in your way?_

* * *

"Dis don't feel right," Meowth said as he walked between his partners who were dressed snazzily in black suits as they walked down the dark street that was illuminated by light posts. 

"Don't worry, Meowth," James said as he turned the corner and walked in the Pokémon morgue, pushing open the double-doors. "We'll just snatch the Luxray up and hurry out." 

"Besides, it should be easy," Jessie added, looking in the grim building that smelled strongly of cleaner as she followed them to the back. "Don't they have them in fridges? We'll just open the right one and be on our way." 

"Mmm, I don't think it works like dat." 

"He said a Luxray, right?" James asked, walking over to an open coffin with an elegant mahogany finish. He ran his fingers along with the smooth wood and let it slide off as he walked past. 

"Hey, you!" 

The iconic trio turned from the empty coffins to see a thin man with chocolate brown eyes looking at them, his round and youthful face giving the impression of a boy who never fully grew up. 

"What are you doing here?" He simply asked. 

"We're here to kidn- _cremate_ a Luxray," James said as Jessie removed her heel off his foot. He gave her a small glare. 

"Luxray? Do you mean the one that got speared through the skull? Yes, very grim... she's not here." 

"What?!" All three chorused together, their faces flooding with panic. 

"Did your... Meowth just talk?" He asked, noticing the third voice. 

"Uh..." Meowth suddenly acted _too_ cat-like, rubbing against legs and making general feline sounds. "Meow!" 

"We need the Luxray, where is it?" Jessie asked, cutting right to the chase. 

"At the Pokécrematorium right next door. Her burning should start in—" 

All three smashed the door open, running down the street. It felt too long and at the same time too fast as they rushed into the Pokécrematorium. There was a group of somber people in black who glared at the commotion. 

The trio stopped to see two females were holding the Luxray; one looked like she had been crying as there were tear stains down her chestnut-brown skin. 

"We need that Luxray!" James shouted, pointing at it. 

"Sir," a man with a goatee and sharp beard growled. Jessie assumed he was the undertaker judging by his special suit. "This Luxray is not yours." 

"I am Hunter," James said on the spot. Jessie facepalmed. 

The undertaker raised an eyebrow. 

"Last name?" He asked, his voice laced with salt as he there was no time for such nonsense such as impersonators and their horrible pranks. 

"We're his friends," Jessie cut in. "Hunter is actually coming to see his Luxray one last time." 

"Mister and miss," Undertaker snapped. "Hunter is unable to leave his hospital room until next week. He called and said he wouldn't make it to the cremation. Now, get out." 

"Fury Swipe!" 

"Meeeeeeeeowth!" 

The cat had flung himself onto the legs of one of the females holding the Luxray, his claws sinking deep. Twice, the move was used and twice there were screeches of pain. Jessie and James slammed their shoulders into the ladies, knocking them down. 

James snatched the Luxray before it hit the ground, while Jessie commanded Meowth to keep attacking whoever tried getting in their way. 

Flinging the Pokémon over his shoulder, James broke out of the building as fast as he could run, with Jessie and Meowth lagging behind. 

"The boss is going to be so happy!" He heard Jessie call from behind him. 

Meowth could only stare at the hollow eyes of the Luxray ahead of him as her head bounced on James's shoulder with each step. The team member's cheers bounced off Meowth's ears. He didn't know what Giovanni wanted with dead Pokémon, but the thrill of a heist didn't feel right. He looked away from the glassy stare, losing speed as he stumbled a little. He knew Jessie and James would understand his emotions if they had to steal a dead human. 

He could feel the judgment of the Luxray as it stared at him.

"I know!" James cheered as the three ducked behind an alleyway. "I bet he only trusts us with such an important mission! I bet Cassidy and Hutch don't even get to go _near_ such heists like ours! The boss'll never see them the way he sees us!" 

* * *

They left no trace. It was quite simple, they found out, to conceive and pull their plan to steal the files. Butch found the electrical breakers and had shut off the power to the building. During the brief moment of confusion, Cassidy had slipped in the report room; the room with anything that had been filed. From there, she had stealthy hid the files on her person before slinking out the room without a sound. When the electrical board had been found and the power was back on, Butch was long gone and Cassidy followed after. 

"That took, what, half an hour?" Cassidy asked as she and Butch rushed in the dark night in the direction of the abandoned warehouse. 

"Just about. I'm glad we didn't just barge in like fools. You know how stupid that would be?" 

"I'm glad the boss trusts us with such an important mission." 

Back where he was, Giovanni got Cassidy and Butch's message much earlier than Jessie and James's. 


	13. Arceus's Blessings and Curses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackie and Sophie aren't the brightest ones here. But who can resist a healthy meal and warm bed? It's better than getting caught in a secret ambush to capturetheleadersagainstthecaptain'sorders*cough* what?

“It is clear we are housing criminals,” the captain of the ship announced to the many who were sitting in a massive room that housed many chairs and a podium, not unlike the design of a church. “Nobody will confront them or search for them. Let them stay where they are. If you see one coming into view, stay out of their way. Try to see what they’re doing. The police will capture them the first chance they get when we dock.”

Someone raised their hand.

“Why don’t we all just jump them? There’s plenty of us than there is of them.”

“They must not know we know. If they understand what is happening, they could escape, or damage this ship, or even kill someone.”

A hand violently jammed in the air.

“We could just knock them all out. We let these men roam free on _our_ ship, steal _our_ food, and enjoy the luxuries that _we_ worked hard for? They have no rights!”

“This is only for a few more days,” the captain answered as he raised his hands as the cabin was filled with agreed mumbling and debating whispers. “We can only go so fast as a freighter.”

“Can we just take the children?”

“I have several nurses ready to take the children when they are found, and several Pokémon are searching the boat as we speak to find them.”

“Those children are in danger!” Someone in the back cried out. “They could die because of your negligence!”

“I do not want to bring harm to my seamen,” the captain called back. He opened his mouth to continue but was cut off.

“But you’ll risk the safety of the children?”

“The team members are unpredictable. Who knows what they will do if they find themselves cornered? They could harm the children if we interfere.”

“And how do you know they already aren’t hurt?”

“I cannot guarantee anything, but we must not allow them to know we know they’re here.”

“That’s stupid,” came a shout from the back.

“All I know that we should not encounter them. The police will take them the moment we dock. I will do my best to speed up the trip. Y’all can last six days, can you?”

With questions, answers, debates, and unnecessary swearing, the room finally talked itself out and slowly started to empty.

“Hey, Sam,” a brutish-looking sailor who rivaled Archie’s size spoke through the corner of his mouth, to a smaller, but equally toned partner.

“Yes?”

“I say we should find those men,” the other one continued. “Find them.”

“What will we do if we do catch them?” Sam asked, bumping past people as he stared ahead.

“Give them hell.”

* * *

The rest of the night was uneventful. Maxie kept watch through the night before Archie tapped in and took over the rest of the watch.

In the morning, Archie took Cyrus on a trip to the kitchen, where they easily swiped toast and several bowls of rice. Remembering the last time when they had to use their fingers, Archie managed to find some chopsticks.

They were breakfasting that morning, on their bowls of rice with sitting in a circle.

Sophie happily was feeding her food to the Joltik, giggling as rice would vanish under the mandibles of the Pokémon.

“How long are we in here?” Archie asked as he stirred his rice in his bowl.

“Too long,” Ghetsis hissed, glaring at his rice. Parts of his hair had blood crusted in many places, flaking away like red dandruff. He did the best he could to scrape the blood off his body, but there were still dried flakes latched onto his skin that would easily come off with water. It was becoming more and more noticeable that showers were needed. Now that no one could access them, the longer they all wanted one.

“Say, this _is_ going to Alolah, right?” Maxie thought, looking up. “We just boarded the nearest ship without checking where it’s heading.”

“You better not have messed this one up, Lysandre,” Ghetsis threatened. “Like you always do.”

“We are,” Lysandre said quickly, lifting a blob of rice out of his bowl.

“How do you know?” Archie asked, looking across to the Kalosian.

“Plot commodité,” Lysandre said quickly. Before anyone could ask him anything else, he stuffed the rice in his mouth (elegantly, of course), and took as much time humanly possible to chew.

Jackie woke up, but he wasn’t hungry, and instead sat next to Sophie watching the Joltik eat.

Luna sat next to Lysandre, her Litleo toy at her side as she ate her own rice. Cyrus was next to Lysandre, Ghetsis was next to Cyrus, and Maxie was next to Ghetsis. Archie was seated next to Maxie, while Sophie and Jackie were next to him.

“What will our escape plan be?” Archie asked as he ate some more rice. “Use a rowboat when we see land and swim to a different location?”

“They could catch up to us with a Flying or Water-type,” Maxie countered. “And we can’t exactly fight back with all our Pokémon drained of energy.”

“We could steal their outfits,” Archie thought again. “Blend in with the enemy.”

“Impossible,” Ghetsis snorted.

There was a silence as everyone ate their rice. A pipe against the wall started to hum before the entire system flooded with liquid, making white noise.

Cyrus looked up, sensing the peculiar feeling of being watched, straining his ears to listen for anything unusual. He narrowed his eyes as the feeling left seconds after it came. Observing the group, he noted that no one else had the same sensation.

Whatever it was, it was gone for good.

“Look!” Sophie gushed, crawling over to shove the Joltik into Lysandre’s face, where it stared at Lysandre blankly.

“You should return it to the ship,” Lysandre responded calmly, looking up from the Pokémon to look at the girl. “It belongs here, not with us.”

“I can’t have it?”

The disappointment was so thick her voice wavered.

“No, you are not old enough to own any Pokémon.”

“Yes, I am!” Sophie held the Joltik close to her chest as if she was worried that Lysandre would reach over and snatch it away.

“Sophie, you’re six. If anyone of your family could own Pokémon, it would be Jackie.”

“You’re saying I can have it?” Jackie asked as he sat up, raising his eyebrows. There were heavy bags under his eyes and he looked a little flushed.

“When you’re responsible enough.”

“How come I don’t see _your_ Pokémon?”

“Because they all need to be healed and that opportunity never came.”

“Maybe we can steal medicine,” Jackie said eagerly as if he was trying to prove he was adult enough so he could own the Joltik.

“You’re too young, and a liability.”

“I don’t know,” Archie rumbled. “I think the scamp can help.”

“No, Archie,” Lysandre said sternly, slowly setting his empty bowl down. “We’re not risking it. He can’t be stealing things.”

“I can!” Jackie said defensively, glaring a little.

“I wanna come too!” Sophie whined as she sat up, her voice suddenly shrill.

“No,” Lysandre growled. “No one’s going anywhere.”

“But we’re _bored!”_

“C’mon, Lysandre,” Archie said, standing up and stretching. “What could possibly go wrong?”

Maxie opened his mouth before Archie said immediately: “Don’t answer that.”

“I say they should go,” Ghetsis said.

“You say a lot of things,” Lysandre growled, frowning at the Plasma leader.

“I wanna go!” Sophie whined again. “Please?”

“No,” Lysandre said, looking at her. “No one except Archie and Maxie are leaving.”

“I want to go too!” Jackie said, standing up and letting his bowl clatter to the floor.

“No,” Lysandre said. “You’re not going and that’s final.”

Jackie folded his arms.

“You can’t tell us what to do.”

Maxie nudged Archie, and the two looked at the boy and the Kalosian.

“Jackie, I’m doing this for your own safety.”

“Since when did you care for our safety?! Or us?!”

“Ever since I saw you standing at the front door.”

Jackie had a painful gut feeling that he heard Lysandre say this before.

“Me and Sophie are leaving, then.”

Lysandre shook his head.

“I’m telling you that you do not need to leave. What do you possibly want to gain from exploring this ship on your own?”

“Something new! We’re bored! We have been sitting here for too long!”

“I’ll find something here for you, then.”

Jackie looked outraged.

“I’m not staying here!”

He started to run past Lysandre, aiming to reach the ladder, but the Kalosian grabbed Jackie’s arm before he could get away.

“Listen to me, Jackie!” Lysandre snapped. “You cannot leave this part of the ship!”

“I did it before!”

“And you cannot again!”

Jackie strained to free himself, digging his heels into the ground and kicking angrily, while Lysandre just stood there, holding his arm without moving.

“Let go of me!”

“Not until you calmed down!”

Sophie and Luna hugged each other, watching with scared eyes.

“Jackie! Restrain yourself!”

The boy managed to wrench himself free, eyes filled with tears.

“YOU’RE NOT MY DAD!!!!”

Maxie and Archie shared glances; Luna and Sophie retreated into the pipe den, holding the Joltik; Ghetsis and Cyrus watched with impassive expressions; and Lysandre stood, suddenly alone as he stared down at Jackie. The boy thought he imagined it, but he saw the eyes staring back at him suddenly harden, losing whatever flare they contained.

He was not going to be disgraced by some child. His voice even shifted into a deeper, neutral tone like the soft rumble of thunder from a faraway storm.

“I am not, Jackie.”

Jackie looked Lysandre up and down while quivering, his eyes dripping with tears before he turned on the spot and took off running, clambering up the ladder and vanishing from sight as his footsteps echoed away.

Maxie looked over to the Kalosian, his face somber.

“It would be better to leave the children here, Lysandre.”

“We’ve gone too far to just abandon them. What sense will make it now if we stop caring for them?”

“There is nothing you are doing that is caring,” Maxie replied. “From my understanding, it’s important to have what the child wants. Is this what they want?”

Lysandre turned to the girls, looking at the two curled up into each other, watching him with widened eyes that showed their fear. The little Joltik on Sophie’s shoulder could care less; it was in a deep sleep.

Walking over to the two, Lysandre knelt down, looking at the two.

“Sophie, Luna,” he said. He narrowed his eyes thinking to back where they stayed at the mansion. They planned on leaving the children in the mansion. What went wrong? He could have just stayed with the team while they fled, but he returned to them. Was that what _they_ wanted? Why didn’t he just abandon them in the first place? They didn’t ask for him to retrieve them, and yet he returned to get them. Maxie did have a point about having places to drop the children off, such as at Lysandre’s Labs— he got a little comfort pretending the building was still named after him— and let Sycamore care for them. Was that what the children wanted? Would have it been better that way? Is this what the girls wanted, or was he making them suffer by taking them along with him? He exhaled slowly, knowing there was nothing he could do even if they wanted to leave. Until they docked, there was nowhere he could take them. “I’m going to look for Jackie.”

He stood up and walked to the ladder, climbing up it and disappearing from view.

“If you’re excepting him to become your father,” Ghetsis spoke to the girls. “Don’t be disappointed when he leaves you a lot.”

“Usually it’s for milk,” Archie answered nonchalantly, leaning against a wall of pipes before jumping to his feet. “Ow! This one is hot!”

“Finally,” Maxie said. “We have a heater in here. It gets cold at night.”

“I have been waiting for a more comfortable night,” Cyrus said dully.

“Maybe Maxie and I should steal blankets or something,” Archie added. “My spine still is in pain.”

“How long are we trapped in here?” Ghetsis asked.

“For too long,” Cyrus answered, shaking his head. The bags under his eyes looked more prominent when he looked at the rest of the group.

Maxie leaned over to the pirate, speaking in the corner of his mouth, “do you think we should ask Ghetsis if he’s on board with Lysandre?”

“I dunno,” Archie truthfully answered, leaning over as well. “But you should ask since you’re the one who talked about the whole team thing.”

“It might be better if we don’t.”

“Turning yellow, now?”

“I just don’t know how to ask it.”

Maxie turned to look at Sophie, whose bruise was shifting into a blackish-purple splotch that was speckling around the edges.

“I don’t think he’s with Lysandre,” Maxie figured.

“Me neither.”

* * *

“I’m telling you, Sam,” the larger, broader sailor said as he walked down the steps with his smaller friend behind. “We need to find these men.”

“But how?”

They both went quiet as they heard the soft cries of a boy reverberating from the end of the hall, coming closer like a phantom gliding down the halls.

“Like catching any animal. Bait.”

***

Jackie wiped his eyes, running down the hall before the presence of someone in front of him made him slow to a stop, rubbing his eyes and looking up to see two men looking down at him.

“Hello there, son,” the shorter one said first, kneeling over.

Jackie’s mind went blank as he froze up, his eyes flicking between both men. He took a step back, ready to flee.

“Hey, it’s alright,” the bigger one said. “You must be Jackie, the one we heard about. You must be starving.”

Jackie shook his head. Although he didn’t eat much, he felt more tired than hungry.

“You look exhausted,” he tried again.

Jackie half-nodded half-shrugged, focusing on his shoes.

“Come on, son,” the shorter one said. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

“I don’t think I should,” Jackie mumbled.

“Why not? You look like you been through a lot.”

Jackie shifted his weight, unsure what to say. He didn’t want to be with Lysandre and his group, or so he kept telling himself. Now that he had the choice to leave, he wasn’t sure if he really wanted to take the opportunity now that it was right in front of him.

“Uh.”

“C’mon, son, what can you lose?”

Jackie nodded slowly, meekly walking a few steps towards them.

“You can wash off all the grime, eat a healthy meal, sleep...”

Jackie hesitantly followed them, wondering if anyone would go looking for him, or if Lysandre would even care that he was missing. Should he really be doing this? Was this the right decision?

“You must be dehydrated, son, let’s get you some water. Jackie, right?”

Jackie nodded.

“There’s no need to be afraid, we just want you to be healthy and safe.”

He nodded again, unsure of what to say as they guided him away from the pipe den, further into the belly of the ship where it was getting remarkably warmer. There were more people to encounter and he was even offered a specially-made meal which he declined as he really wasn’t hungry, but did accept a hot shower.

After everything he went through, the shower felt like a blessing from Arceus itself. The soap had shifted into muddy brown as it pooled at his feet before vanishing in the drain before finally staying clear after intense scrubbing. His hair no longer was oily and loaded with dandruff, and the warmth? It was beautiful, like finally feeling the sun kiss your skin after months of a sunless, frozen blizzard.

His clothes were cleaned and waiting for him, and it no longer reeked of sweat and dirt, but of crystal rain and misty brine.

Feeling much better now that he no longer was a house to at least twenty forms of disease and bacteria, he accepted his meal from a very loud, plump lady who laughed easily and had little effort in making Jackie feel welcomed as she allowed him to sit at the counter of the kitchen, his feet dangling off the stool.

The meal was extraordinary. It was juicy, fatty meat that tasted similar to chicken that rested on a large bed of white, fluffy rice. It was covered in salty soy sauce with a handful of warm, cooked green beans sprinkled with fat grains of salt, while shavings of carrots layered the whole meal, and, to finish it off, a sprinkle of sesame seeds and a sprig of parsley.

Every bite led Jackie to want more, and he found it was hard to set his fork down as every mouthful flooded with savory meat then immediately followed by a sharp wave of the sauce.

“Aw, honey,” the chef said as she patted Jackie’s back as he hungrily devoured his meal. “You must have been starved. Did the Team do it to you?”

He meant to open his mouth to speak, remembered it was impolite to talk with his mouth full, and quickly swallowed an enormous mouthful that needed water to help get it down.

“No, they didn’t starve us,” He said before shoveling in a forkful of rice before quickly adding, “ma’am.”

“You look exhausted, Jackie,” she cooed. Jackie didn’t make the connection that she knew his name from the news, and just assumed she knew his name. His mind was extremely blank as he continued to eat.

"I am pretty tired,” he admitted, now that he had something warm in him.

“Alright, hon. There are bedrooms all set up, I’m sure you can hunker down for a while. Lemme show you.”

Jackie followed the friendly chef down the long hallways and watched her as she opened a door to reveal a massive room dedicated to sleeping. Lining the walls were all beds, even the middle of the room had bunk beds neatly lining up in tidied patterns. They looked like glorified cat beds, Jackie thought, as they were essentially mattresses with a set of curtains to give some privacy.

“Just pick a spot, hon, and I’ll let them know you’ll be in their presence.”

“They?”

“The sailors, of course,” the chef laughed. “You don’t suppose the whole room is just to look at? Now, the left is for those already sleeping from their night shift—” she pointed to a wall of beds that had their curtains drawn. A cough came from one. “And the right is for those all busy n’ working.”

Jackie climbed into the nearest one, curling up like a shy Meowth, tucking himself into a ball.

“You have sisters, don’t you?”

Jackie nodded.

“Well, tell them to come on over whenever they like. I would love to make sure they’re in the best of care.”

Jackie must have said yes, but all he remembered was mumbling something before sleep completely overwhelmed his body.

* * *

“Man, it’s hot in here,” Archie gasped, flapping his collar of his suit.

“I suggest you shouldn’t wear a wetsuit,” Cyrus said. “It isn’t healthy for your body.”

“You never know when you’ll need to swim,” Archie countered. “There could be an incident.”

Although Ghetsis didn’t openly speak about the heat, he stood at the wall furthest from the pipes emitting heat, glaring at everyone as if he dared them to ask why he was farther away.

Maxie had shed his red cloak to reveal his red sweater, keeping close to his side.

“At least take off the suit, layering is the worst thing you can do in a hot environment.”

Cyrus simply looked over at the Magma leader’s apparel.

“Oh, shut it,” Maxie snapped at the silent Galactic leader.

“But my suit keeps my wetsuit clean from all the dirt and stuff,” Archie continued, unaware of the transfer between Maxie and Cyrus.

“Fine.”

Cyrus looked over at the girls.

“This plan seems preposterous,” he said.

“Exactly!” Archie cheered. “Join us, Cy! We can leave—”

Maxie elbowed the pirate hard in the ribs, nodding to Ghetsis, who was busy rubbing dried blood out of the sleeve of his robe.

“I wasn’t talking about Lysandre’s plan for the children. More of his plan to get Jackie back.”

“He didn’t even tell us about any plan,” Maxie said.

“He didn’t need to speak it for us to know it. His actions did all the explaining.”

“How long is this abyssal boat ride going to take?” Ghetsis snarled as he hobbled over, disregarding the conversation that was already taking place.

“How are we supposed to know?” Maxie asked, his tone dropping to a similar grumble. “I want this crummy trip to be over as soon as it had started.”

Archie took off his suit to use it to mop his forehead.

“You should take off your bandana, too,” Maxie grumbled. “Unless there’s a whole colony of lice or something festering under there.”

“Why would I take off my dearly beloved bandana?”

“Because heat leaves the body through the top of the head, and you’re wearing a wetsuit, so either you will dehydrate to death, or possibly drown in your sweat.”

“Aye, don’t worry about me, champ,” Archie said. “I’ll be just fine.”

“I’m sure you will,” Maxie muttered under his breath.

“Will Jackie be alright?” Sophie asked as she waddled over, her hair sticking to her forehead.

“He’ll be alright, lass,” Archie consoled, slipping the top of his suit back on.

Luna hugged her plushie as she stayed behind.

“I want to help find him,” she goaded, bouncing eagerly on the balls of her feet.

“Let her go,” Ghetsis said. “One less to worry about.”

Maxie almost declined the option but decided that it shouldn’t matter what the children decided to do. After all, he wasn’t babysitting them. Who cares if they get lost? It would be better if they were found and taken care of by someone else, anyway. Why weren’t they left at the mansion, again?

“Go look for him,” Maxie said to Sophie. Her face lit up and she turned to Luna, who shook her head and hugged her toy harder. Sophie clambered up the ladder and vanished from sight.

“Why don’t you go follow your sister?”

Luna shook her head again and scurried into the furthest corner.

“Well, at least it’ll be quiet now,” Maxie sighed.

Ghetsis gave a coy smirk.

“The silence will be nice,” he replied.

“Do you think the kids’ll be found?” Archie asked, looking over to the men.

“I don’t know,” Maxie asked before looking over to the pirate. “Why?”

“If she was found, they would notice the bruise on her head.”

“The little creep deserved it,” Ghetsis said coldly.

Cyrus was quiet, but the _way_ he was quiet made everyone look at him as if he just said something important.

“The attack was from irrational anger,” Cyrus said, noticing the shift in the room. “No being truly deserves what they are given.”

“She did, though,” Ghetsis snarled. “And if you ask me, those brats should be at the bottom of the ocean.”

“I’m sure they’ll be found,” Archie reassured, referring to Lysandre finding them.

“And they will never be heard of again and we can leave here immediately,” Ghetsis finished with a wicked grin.

“I feel like you’re the kind of person who makes chocolate-covered brussels sprouts to serve at a kid’s birthday party,” Archie said to Ghetsis.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Gentlemen,” Maxie said as he stepped forward. “There Is nothing we can do about this. We can only wait.”

“Seems like the only thing we do now,” Ghetsis said grumpily.

Cyrus simply had nothing to say.

* * *

Sophie knew she had to be quiet, but when she yelled “JACKIE!” On the top of her lungs, she thought it was the coolest thing to hear her voice echo down the hallways before melting down into a metal hum.

It wasn’t hard to locate her, and she immediately trusted the sailors who said they knew where Jackie was. After slamming down a meal in record time, she was able to wash herself well and have freshly laundered clothes waiting for her. She found the Joltik on her shirt, curled up asleep. Sophie set it on her shoulder. She was then guided into a room full of beds and chose the best-looking one (they were all the same) before curling up.

“Where’s Jackie?” She mumbled sleepily as she now just a lump of sheets. The Joltik, figuring out there was no food for it here, crawled away unnoticed as Sophie was too drowsy to pay attention.

“He’s sleeping in the men’s beds, hon. I’ll have him see you when he awakes.”

After being pressed up against someone for warmth or having a body part fall asleep due to lack of proper circulation, or shivering halfway through the night and finally sleeping in the early mornings of the next day, this bed felt like a blessing from Arceus itself.

She had a thought that Jackie felt the same way too when he was able to finally get comfortable, but that was all Sophie remembered before collapsing heavily into a deep sleep.

* * *

“I got another one of the of the Suzuki kids,” the friendly chef said to the two sailors, Sam and his partner with hands on her hips as they met up in the kitchen. “We just need one more and they’ll be safe from the Team.”

“What will we do when we encounter one of the members?” Sam asked. “What if we can't fight them?”

“Calm down, Sam,” the chef said, waving her hand. “We’ll stop them from harming anyone anymore.”

“Didn’t the captain say _not_ to fight them? We should just let them do their thing, really.”

“Sam, sometimes you need to do the wrong thing for the right reasons. Do you want to sleep in fear knowing those men can enter our chambers at any given time? Or hurt someone, which could have been prevented if we hadn’t intervened?”

“Well, no...”

“We need to ignore the captain’s orders for the safety of this ship.”

“Well... alright. I’ll get my friends to see if they’ll help. I know a few.”

They went silent as a well-rested Jackie emerged with an equally-rested Sophie. Their hair had become messed up from sleeping so hard, and Sophie had a huge knot tangled in hers.

“Did you sleep well, hons?”

Jackie nodded, yawning.

“Who hurt your head?”

“I don’t remember,” Sophie mumbled sleepily.

“Ghetsis did,” Jackie said, holding his sister’s hand.

“Ghetsis? Tell me, did anyone else hurt you?”

They shook their heads.

“Where are they? We can get rid of them if you’d like.”

Was this a dream coming true? Jackie had a nagging sense in his chest telling him not to tell where the Team was. As much as he voiced his distrust to Lysandre, a tiny part of him just didn't like the idea of ratting out the Kalosian and his friends. He felt like he was lying if he said he hated the Team Flare leader.

“I don’t know,” Jackie lied.

“You mean the pipe den?” Sophie asked, looking at Jackie with genuine confusion as if she really thought he was telling the truth about not knowing where the leaders were.

“Pipe den?” The biggest of the three asked, crossing his arms.

Jackie shook his head, horrified.

“Yeah!” Sophie said excitedly, perking up.

While the other three adults were egging her on to continue, Jackie had a bad feeling settle in his gut when he saw them glance at each other with secret meanings as Sophie started telling them who was in the group and conversations held.

“Sophie—”

“No, son,” the biggest man said, brushing Jackie’s words away. “Let her continue.”

“In fact, Lysandre is looking for Jackie right now!” She chirped.

The three leaned back, looking at each other in a mute conversation.

“Well, hon,” the chef said in a deceivingly kind voice. “You can be sure I and my friends will be ready for him and whoever followers after him.”

Jackie smiled, but the gut feeling only grew worse until Jackie felt himself get sick a second time that day.

“Oh, hon!”

He was picked up by somebody before he was set inside a bathroom. Jackie splashed his face and looked at his pale expression in the mirror.

“Am I doing the right thing?”

Of course, his reflection only asked the question with him.

Feeling exhausted again, he stumbled out of the bathroom, his head all fuzzy and his thoughts slurred and bland.

“We found him!” The cry burst into a million glass fragments, making the walls shudder with the voices. “We found him!” _Impossible_ , Jackie thought. “We found him! We found him! We found him!Wefoundhim! WefoundhimWefoundhimWefoundhim!”

“Let me go!” He heard Lysandre’s cry from everywhere, which broke the millions of repeated shouts like thousands of lightning bugs scattering from a jar. There was the sound of hitting skin, which sounded too painful, too close... too _real._

“Stop him!”

“Where is Jackie!”

"Help me over here!”

Footsteps. More people were over there, now. Scuffling.

“RELEASE ME NOW!!” Lysandre’s voice roared as a lion’s making the hallway shudder and the floor under Jackie’s feet tremble.

“No,” Jackie mumbled, gripping the wall for support to stop himself from falling.

He realized too late that he was hallucinating, collapsing on his side. He lay, paralyzed, as he heard Sophie’s thunderous footsteps hurrying to his side before icy hands shook him worryingly. With all the illusions, Jackie knew Lysandre didn’t really come. _He never will care enough, anyway..._

His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he passed out, the roar of the lion still filling his mind.

* * *

“Lysandre hasn’t come back with Jackie,” Archie observed. “And Sophie hasn’t returned, either.”

“So?” Ghetsis asked sourly.

“So, maybe one of us should go find him.”

“That’s not our issue,” Maxie added in.

“Maybe they got hurt,” Archie said nonchalantly, shrugging. “That’s all I’m saying.”

“Cyrus!” Ghetsis barked, pointing to the Galactic leader, who looked over with the cold gaze he held. “Search for them!”

Cyrus only narrowed his eyes.

“We should at least search nearby,” Archie said to the remaining group, looking at each of their faces. The pipe finally stopped running hot liquid in it and started to cool down. Now, the room felt too cold.

“You should go, Archie,” Maxie said stoically. “Since you’re the one who's so concerned about the other’s whereabouts.”

Cyrus mumbled something before climbing up the ladder and disappearing out of sight.

“Did anyone catch what he said?” Archie asked.

“Something about not wanting to hear us talking,” Ghetsis answered, his one eye turning to glare at the other two leaders.

***

Cyrus walked down the hallway, staring ahead. His feet made a gentle _tep, tep, tep_ as he didn’t hesitate for any sound he heard.

He ascended a pair of narrow, steep metal steps. He didn’t know where he was going, but at the same time, he knew exactly where he was going. He didn’t waver when he heard voices, but the one thing he did stop for was when he saw a handful of sailors trying to halter Lysandre like a loose Mudsdale. Cyrus didn’t stop out of fear or hesitation, but he could see Lysandre fighting so hard to refuse getting captured, slamming Sam against the wall in an effort to free himself from the thick ropes that were dangerously close to tightening around his neck.

Cyrus noticed the willpower that Lysandre held... it was... mediocre. Cyrus shook his head. What a foolish man. Acting on his mind—

“RELEASE ME NOW!!” Lysandre roared, and the unmistakable thunderous boom of an angered lion was not missed from his voice as the mighty Kalosian tore apart his bindings, the ropes falling to his feet. He picked one sailor up by the throat, dangling them several feet off the floor, then saw Cyrus.

He wasn’t shocked, but the hesitation of seeing someone who shouldn’t be there was costly, and Lysandre found himself outnumbered immediately, unable to defend all the hands that were forcing him to his knees. Something sharp stabbed his calf, and he knew no more.

Cyrus felt something prick the back of his neck, but the world turned black before he could even react. He felt himself hit the floor, but his body couldn’t respond accordingly. He could feel people picking him up, and had the dawning realization that he wasn’t drugged properly; he was awake, but unable to do anything about it. He could only feel himself getting carried away, the footsteps a jarring clatter as he was taken for a while down several halls, in a room, then thrown down into a heap on the floor. He could feel something slice his arm, and blood pooled on his sleeve.

He was forced to be tied back-to-back against Lysandre, and felt the rope painfully dig into his ribs. Cyrus was stuck listening to Lysandre’s breathing, wondering if he too was stuck in a coma, or if he was given Arceus’s blessing to be fully unconscious.

Cyrus had a suspicion that Arceus had no more blessings to give that day, and he could do nothing but wait until he was able to awaken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll add this to the pile of chapters I need to update after I sleep. Arceus, I'm tired.


End file.
